2010 Activity Report - Bureau Veritas

Consumer productsInnovative solutionsto optimize supply chainperformanceImproving time-to-marketConsumers today are demanding quality,low prices, and evidence of productsafety, reliability and sustainable sourcing.Within the industry itself, product lifecycles and time-to-market are shortening,whereas QHSE standards and regulationsare becoming increasingly complex andrigorous.Bureau Veritas is well equipped tohelp clients navigate this landscape.We continue to roll out our flagshipBV One Source information managementportal, now used by clients globally,including seven out of the world’s top tenmultiple product line retailers. The systemenables clients to track orders and resultsonline, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.Key features also include the ability forclients to interact with their supply chainon product quality failures and receiveperformance analysis enabling productand supply chain benchmarkingby country or industry.Anticipating market trends as well asnew obligations, we continue to developvalue-adding solutions such as ourBV One Source Product Technical Folderthat acts as a repository but also tracksthe status of a product’s technicaldocumentation throughout the productlife cycle. To meet the new US ReasonableTesting Program and EU Toy SafetyDirective requirements, we canadditionally provide a total solutioncovering advisory, testing and productioncontrol services. We are also pursuingthe development of environmentalmanagement solutions for consumerproducts addressing CO 2 , hazardoussubstances, energy and water useas well as waste production.Getting it right throughoutthe supply chainTo support growth in emerging markets,we actively partner with governmentagencies and help companies understandand comply with the conformityrequirements in different countries.Further upstream, we can also assistfabric mills in improving fabric qualityand controlling water, waste and energyperformance.With key services to enhance supply chainperformance and quality improvement,we help our clients deliver safe, qualityproducts that balance environmentaland social benefits with the economicneeds of the supply chain.HIGHLIGHTS• New services: EU speed-to-market;China testing for domestic standards;Mill Improvement Program.• Leverage of integrated supply chainsolutions (audit, testing, inspections)for softlines; BV One Sourcedeployment.• New facility set up in Fürth, Germanyto test hardline products.• Electrical and electronics segmentexpansion with acquisition ofNS Technology in China; developmentof testing services for electronic toys.• Miscellaneous accreditations forthe Bureau Veritas photovoltaic (PV)laboratory in Shanghai.• Expansion into growing sourcingmarkets.• Food and cosmetics platformevolution.28