More than 60 per cent of mainland suppliers are increasing spending on quality control after the recent recalls of mainland-made products.
A survey of more than 200 manufacturers from consumer product industries in the mainland conducted by Global Sources, a business-to-business media company, showed that 62 respondents were increasing spending on addressing product quality issues.
'Ten per cent said they are increasing quality control spending by more than 20 per cent [for the year],' said the survey, adding that 26 per cent would increase spending by 10 to 20 per cent.
The majority of spending is directed toward implementing total quality management procedures in factories, with more than 70 per cent of suppliers saying that it was the best way to improve overall quality.
The reputation of mainland-made goods has taken a severe beating in recent months due to a series of product-safety scares.
Beijing has been scrambling to launch a campaign to ease global concerns about mainland exports. It has issued numerous new product-safety policies and executed a former food and drug chief convicted of taking bribes to authorise unsafe medicines.
'While overall responsibility for product quality rests with the importer, who is legally responsible for ensuring that his products meet the standards of the country where it is being sold, mainland suppliers are investing heavily to help their buyers meet these requirements,' said Merle Hinrichs, the chairman and chief executive at Global Sources.