Spector & Co. Becomes First to Achieve QCA Accreditation in 2018

Quality Certification Alliance (QCA), Chicago, has awarded QCA Accreditation to Spector &Co. Spector & Co. becomes the first supplier in 2018 to achieve the esteemed accreditation for having met the rigorous qualifications necessary to receive the promotional products industry’s only certification dedicated to product quality, product safety, supply chain security, social accountability and environmental stewardship.

Employing approx. 400 office and factory staff, Spector & Co. ships from its modern 105,000 sq. ft. facility and offers more than 500 products, including writing instruments, journals, tech, travel and business accessories, along with its newest categories—Ashbury Bags and SpecFit. All promotional products are decorated with its state-of-the-art branding techniques.

QCA accredited companies endorse a self-certification, complete a rigorous self-assessment, and then submit their headquarters and their supply bases to multiple third-party audits. The QCA board uses a scorecard representing the performance of the applicant and its supply chain on the third-party audits as the foundation for granting accreditation.

“We had a department that dealt with everyday compliance and quality processes, and worked on our internal policies and procedures," said Chris Pearson, director of compliance for Spector & Co. "It was a robust system, but there is always room for improvement, and the QCA process helped highlight our shortcomings.

“This is a big opportunity for us as a manufacturer and for our customers," he continued. "It demonstrates to the industry how much we care about the compliance, responsible sourcing, and QC process. Also, it gives our customers confidence that we are doing all that we can to protect them and their customer’s brands. QCA Accreditation opens doors for new clients and brands that require QCA certified suppliers for all their orders.”

“Spector & Co. has a history of responsible sourcing best practices," said Tim Brown, MAS, executive director of QCA. "However, like many other QCA Accredited suppliers, the process opened their eyes to a wider view of brand safety and more robust compliance best practices. The accreditation offered to promotional products suppliers goes above and beyond the average compliance program. Compliance is more than testing for CPSIA and Prop 65 regulations. World class compliance is achievable through a comprehensive program that includes so much more.”

For more information about QCA, visit www.qcalliance.org. For more information about Spector & Co., visit www.spectorandco.com.