56 products with "Foshan Standards" to protect consumers
On May 12th, hosted by the Foshan Municipal Government, the Work Promotion Conference and Release Conference for "Foshan Standards" were held, as highlighted by 56 products from 37 brands unveiled for the first batch. Upon the list, some of the big names are Monalisa Tiles, Midea (home appliances), Winto Ceramics (sanitary ware), HEGII with featured products that range from air conditioners, rice cookers, induction cookers, ceramic slabs, dry-pressed porcelain tile to ceramic toilets, smart toilets and shower rooms.
Foshan manufacturing: focus shifted from "quantity" to "quality"
Foshan is well-known as a key manufacturing base that has bred numerous well-known brands. Among 23 cities nationwide that reach a trillion in GDP, Foshan owes more than a half of its GDP to its manufacturing sector, which is rarely seen in other cities. As the only pilot city in China that is going through a comprehensive reform for industrial upgrading, Foshan has taken the lead in setting manufacturing standards that paves the future for Chinas manufacturing.
The "Foshan Standards" Initiative was actually brought up as early as in 2020, which was a very pioneering move among other prefecture-level cities in Guangdong Province taken to polish up its image as "a strong manufacturing city". Reportedly, "Foshan Standards" consists of 5 projects that focus on supply, evaluation, rewarding, cultivation, and protection, aiming at "advanced standards, high-quality products, and brand enterprises". As planned in the coming 5 years, Foshan will create more than 500 products that meet "Foshan Standards" to spearhead high-quality manufacturing in Foshan and China as a whole.
"Back in the days, Japanese smart toilet seats were snapped up by millions of Chinese consumers. Now smart toilets with Foshan Standards are way ahead of those produced in Japan, and we believe we dont have to see that happen again." said by officials from Foshan Administration for Market Regulation.
Advanced evaluation system to secure product quality
Reportedly, local enterprises can now gain access to being certified with "Foshan Standards". After online declaration and expert reviews, on-site inspections will be carried out in production workshops and laboratories by third-party experts. After learning well enough about production process and evaluating products by different indicators, experts will review the declared materials for a second time. Once approved, brands or products can be certified with "Foshan Standards".
Based on the relation between product technicalities and user satisfaction, technical indicators in "Foshan Standards" are mainly divided into 3 categories - basic indicators, key indicators and innovation indicators. The basic indicators are the basic attributes of a product, such as safety and dimensions; the key indicators belong to technical indicators that consumers and enterprises pay attention to, which is enough to testify if a product sells well and survive in the market; the innovative indicators are the indicators to fill in the gaps and explore the potential needs of consumers, which also reflects technological innovation of an enterprise.
Powerful funding pooled to protect consumers rights and interests
Different from the previous evaluation systems, "Foshan Standards" incorporated considerations on consumer experience. To do that, a funding pool was put together by the government. For consumers, they are allowed to return products for no reasons in 7 days both online and offline, and enjoy a liability insurance against product quality and safety problems. Plus, if their rights or interests get compromised, their compensation will come in advance.
Meanwhile, the city will intensify efforts to crack down on counterfeit goods and protect rights of consumers, bears zero-tolerance for manufacturing and selling counterfeit or substandard goods that claimed to meet "Foshan Standards". Plus, special signs should be attached to products with "Foshan Standards" and be supervised and managed tightly. For those already certified, a mechanism that works on quality supervision and withdrawal is also very necessary, so that "Foshan Standards" gain more credibility.
Author | Jersey Revisor | Ivy Photo | Foshan Daily
