Interview with the manager of the Quality Assurance

TEDi places great value on offering items that are not only reasonably priced, but also demonstrate good quality. For this reason, the company has its own department for quality assurance, which occupies itself solely with quality testing the products.


Mr. Schwerdtfeger, what is the procedure of the quality assurance like?
I explain you the procedure at best by the example of a toy-penguin, which is manufactured in China. In that case the provider has to submit to TEDi first of all a certificate of an independent testing institute, which confirms that the item complies with the European Toy Guideline DIN EN 71. Afterwards we control the penguin ourselves regarding its consistency and function. Our report is being sent again back to the provider and we deliver to him therein further guidelines concerning quality, product and packaging.
 
And then the item is being delivered to the TEDi stores?
No, not by a long chalk. Now there follows first the second stage of control. In this case we control if the provider has implemented the quality requirements which arose from the first control. Only if our guidelines and the provisions of law are complied with, the penguins are delivered to the TEDi Headquarters in Dortmund.
 
Does there follow now another testing stage or are the penguins now delivered from the Headquarters to the stores?
Now the goods inward inspection still has to take place. Here we control among other things the function and the labelling of the penguins. We take some samples and sent them additionally to a prestigious testing institute, which tests the penguins regarding pollutants. Only if all these stages are being completed, the products are being delivered to our stores.
 
Can you please explain us how you test the „function” of a penguin?
Of course, only that I would like to take in this case as an example the foreign companion, the teddy-bear. Especially in the case of cuddly toys there exists the danger that children swallow up buttons and eyes and hurt themselves. In order to avoid this, we conduct the control according to DIN EN 71-1 (mechanical and physical properties features). For example, during the „pulling control” the eye of the teddy is being pulled with fixed defined force. If it resists, then the teddy has passed our test. If not, the provider has to improve it once again.
 
You just mentioned the provisions of the law. Is TEDi controlling the products additionally beyond those guidelines?
TEDi has additionally developed own quality requirements, based on which the products are being tested. Thus we conduct for example customer-related tests, which check the suitability for daily use.
 
On many TEDi products are found customer indications, such as for example “suitable for dishwashers”. How do you control those?
Till a product receives this indication, it has past many trials. In order to receive a food storage box the attribute “suitable for dishwashers”, it passes through up to dozen wash cycles. The same applies for textiles with the overprint “suitable for washing machines”.
 
This sounds like a lot of work. How many employees work in your department?
Altogether, there are occupied ten qualified employees in the Quality Assurance. And, like I said, additionally we intensively cooperate with well-known testing institutes worldwide.
 
What would you advise a customer, who possibly is after all not satisfied with the quality of the product?
First of all, all products can be changed easily in our TEDi stores. Our POS system records this exchange and forwards the complaint to the department for Quality Assurance. Of course then we get to the bottom of the cause. Basically, we always welcome criticism and suggestions - because only then can our products become even better.