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MALM Day 9 July 5 Report
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Is IKEA using double standards on product recall?
Jul 5, 2016 | Cri English
By Luo Bin
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Ikea pledges higher quality as consumer expectations change
Jul 5, 2016 | Retail Dive
By Daphne Howland
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Chinese Consumers Require IKEA Recall
Jul 5, 2016 | Cri English
By Rong Chen
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Concerns About Safty Measures Addressed By Ikea For Chests Of Drawers
Jul 5, 2016 | HiBusiness
By Caleb MacCauley
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Ikea Under Fire in China After Limiting Dresser Recall to North America
Jul 5, 2016 | New York Times
By Emily Feng
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The 5 Biggest Furniture Recalls in US History (and How IKEA Compares)
| Fast Co Design
By John Brownlee
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Federal official commends Barrington Hills woman during Ikea recall announcement
Jul 5, 2016 | Chicago Tribune/Barrington Courier-Review
By Todd Shields
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These two companies recently issued recalls for products with safety issues
Jul 4, 2016 | Deseret News
By Sarah Anderson
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Amidst tip-over concerns, IKEA Canada recalls over six million dressers
Jul 4, 2016 | Woodworking Network
By Robert Dalheim
July 5, 2016
July 4, 2016
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Is IKEA using double standards on product recall?
Jul 5, 2016 | Cri English
By Luo Bin
Swedish furniture giant IKEA has issued another recall.
This time it involves 7,617 child safety gates in China due to a potential fall hazard, the country's consumer quality watchdog said on Tuesday.
The products to be recalled, which were made in Denmark, were produced between 1998 and 2016, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement.
The new in a series of recalls comes after Chinese consumers' complaints over IKEA's decision to exclude China from a massive recall of its MALM dressers last month.
A recall was launched in June after six children in the United States and Canada lost their lives in tipping and entrapment incidents associated with the dressers.
However, consumers in China and Europe were not in the plan.
"Deadly Dressers" Stay On Sale in China
The "deadly dressers" are still on sale in many IKEA stores across China, but warning signs have been attached to the products.
The company insists on its original decision of not recalling, saying the potential risks could be prevented by attaching the dressers to the wall.
"This model is not only sold in China, but also in other regions outside the United States. It's also sold in European Union countries. This product meets the mandatory safety requirements of EU and our country", said Xiang Li, marketing manager of the company's branch in Guangzhou.
Installation instructions on how to attach chests of drawers and dressers to the walls can be seen in IKEA's Guangzhou store.
The manager says the installation accessories are included when purchasing the product.
IKEA said customers can also get free installation accessories by a phone call or a visit to any IKEA store.
Although warning signs have been attached to the products to remind customers of the potential risks, such precaution is not enough to calm down consumers.
"They should use larger labels to remind parents because many of them can't be aware of such problems", said a customer from Guangzhou.
In an IKEA store in Shanghai's Xuhui District, many products that America had recalled can still be found.
A customer surnamed Gong said he had no idea that similar products had been recalled in America and he hopes he can be told about the potential risks and the ways to prevent them.
Voice to Recall Hazardous Products in ChinaIn North America, the recall covers chests of drawers and dressers which do not meet the performance requirements of the U.S. voluntary industry standards.
The company is offering a full or partial refund between 70 and 200 U.S. dollars on the defective products sold from 2002 through last month.
The Municipal Consumer Council in Shenzhen has appealed to IKEA to extend the same to China, arguing that IKEA should not discriminate against Chinese consumers.
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Ikea pledges higher quality as consumer expectations change
Jul 5, 2016 | Retail Dive
By Daphne Howland
Dive Brief:Swedish furniture giant Ikea aims to streamline its manufacturing operations for greater efficiencies in an effort to boost the quality of its furniture, Reuters reports.
The changes are in response to consumer demand for better-quality, longer-lasting furniture, Ikea Group CEO Peter Agnefjall told Reuters.
"Customers expect us to do more (on quality). And nowadays you can't really make products that are throwaway: when you buy a sofa table it needs to be built to last," Agnefjall said.Dive Insight:
While fast-fashion grabbed market share with appealing design at low prices, which arguably helped change customers’ willingness to accept lower quality, the furniture market has apparently shifted the other way. As millennials get older and have more money to spend, many marketers have noted their shifting interest toward higher-quality products.
But, as Reuters notes, such a shift could be an uphill climb for Ikea, which is known the world over for its pressboard furniture and sometimes confounding assembly instructions. Ikea has long been the go-to place for college or post-college people with limited funds: A trip there can fill an apartment without too much bank account damage.
Ikea chief designer Marcus Engman said the company aims to attract new customers, including older people that don’t consider Ikea when it’s time to buy a new couch.
That’s an interesting challenge for the company, though it could be a tough transition, analysts say. "The challenge for Ikea is to make people aware of their higher-quality goods whilst at the same time maintaining that democratic appeal," Patrick O'Brien, content director at retail information specialist Verdict Retail, told Reuters.
Ikea is being forced to redesign some of its wardrobes and dressers, which must be attached to a wall in order to guarantee consumer safety, according to the company’s own instructions. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Ikea last month announced a joint recall of 29 million Ikea chests and dressers blamed in multiple deaths and injuries of small children.
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Chinese Consumers Require IKEA Recall
Jul 5, 2016 | Cri English
By Rong Chen
Many Chinese consumers are complaining over Swedish furniture maker IKEA's decision to exclude the Chinese market from a massive recall plan.
But the manufacturer says a recall is not necessary in China as the product in question meets all design standards in the country.
While more than 35 million dressers are being recalled from North America, the very same IKEA model is still being sold in Guangzhou.
The recall was launched after six children in the United States and Canada lost their lives in tipping and entrapment incidents associated with the dressers.
But consumers in China and Europe are not in the plan.
Xiang Li, marketing manager of the company's branch in Guangzhou, explains why.
"This model is sold not only in China, but also in other regions outside the United States. It's also sold in European Union countries. This product meets the mandatory safety requirements of EU and our country."
Installation instructions on how to attach chests of drawers and dressers to the walls are seen in IKEA's Guangzhou store.
The manager says the installation accessories are included when purchasing the product.
She strongly urges consumers to follow the proposed steps during assembly.
"If one follows the instruction to install the product, it's safe. In fact, our packaging specification repeatedly emphasizes the steps of anchoring. If required by the consumers, we will resort to a third party to provide them with paid installation services."
But such precaution is not enough to calm down local consumers.
"They should use larger labels to remind parents because many of them can't be aware of such a problem."
In North America, the recall covers chests of drawers and dressers which do not meet the performance requirements of the U.S. voluntary industry standards.The company is offering a full or partial refund between 70 and 200 U.S. dollars on chests of drawers and dressers sold from 2002 through last month.
So far, the municipal Consumer Council in Shenzhen has appealed to IKEA to extend the same recall to China.
It argues that IKEA should not discriminate against Chinese consumers.
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Concerns About Safty Measures Addressed By Ikea For Chests Of Drawers
Jul 5, 2016 | HiBusiness
By Caleb MacCauley
In the United States, a safety hazard from a set of chest of drawers has been the cause of six child deaths and several injuries. Ikea has brought it to the attention of Canadians that they should watch out for chest drawers manufactured by them, that are likely to tip over, which can cause harm to many, mostly young children. The company themselves have agreed to make any amendments on the drawers and have those who purchased it have their cash refunded if the chest of drawers does not meet the standard of the North American safety regulations. Ikea Canada is part of a recall of 29 million chests and dressers both in Canada and the United States.
Customers have been told by the firm to have their faulty chests of drawers kept safely out of children’s reach until the furniture can be well-fitted into the wall. If it so happens that customers cannot have the chests of drawers fitted into a wall, they should return it back to where they bought it from and they will be refunded. So far, no serious incident has been reported by anyone in Canada. It was reported by the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission that six children lost their lives as a result of the tipped furniture. They were no older than three years. Other reports were about 36 children who got injured by the chests of drawers. Those who purchased the manufactured chests and dressers from the year 2002 in January till June 2016 can have a full refund while buyers with furniture manufactured before 2002 can have a fraction of their store credit.
Although this is a downturn for their sales and furniture that have been sold in the past years, they have made sure that all the current products for sale online and in store fully meet the safety standard. The recalled furniture can be found on their website, including various kinds of Malm’s chest.
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Ikea Under Fire in China After Limiting Dresser Recall to North America
Jul 5, 2016 | New York Times
By Emily Feng
The announcement last week by the Swedish furniture maker Ikea that it was recalling nearly 36 million chests and dressers in the United States and Canada that have been linked to the deaths of at least six children has set off heated discussions among Chinese consumers over being excluded from the deal and the relatively lax safety standards in their own country.
The recall applies only to North America, where the children were crushed after the furniture tipped over on them. Customers who bought the furniture after 2002 are eligible for a partial refund. Ikea has said that the chests and dressers are safe when anchored to a wall as instructed with the supplied equipment, but its decision came after pressure from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission to abide by voluntary industry standards for the stability of free-standing clothing storage units.
On Weibo, a popular social media platform in China, users complained about the limited scope of the recall.
“This discriminates against the Chinese people,” a person with the handle HappyLifeEverday wrote.
A user identified as CHING-ME wrote, “The sooner they close down the better! Let’s boycott Ikea now!”
China is Ikea’s fastest-growing market, and sales in China last year reached $1.55 billion. On weekends, Ikea stores in China are routinely packed with customers, some of whom even nap on the furniture displays.
But the recall has also prompted widespread calls for more stringent safety standards in the country.
“This is not discrimination by Ikea,” a user going by the name captain-laomei wrote on Weibo. “It’s that our country’s standards are too low — not just for furniture, but for manufacturing, food hygiene, agriculture, health, cars, the service industry, financial services and so on.”
China has experienced a series of consumer safety scandals, including melamine-tainted baby formula in 2008 that killed six children and sickened 53,000, dangerous levels of heavy metals in rice and ineffective vaccines. In recent years, China has begun strengthening automobile safety and manufacturing regulations after numerous automotive recalls.
“Chinese companies won’t raise their own quality standards, so you end up with two different standards, for inside the country and abroad,” a person identified as My Own Meow wrote on Weibo.
Ikea has said limiting the recall to North America was justified, since its products meet safety standards in China, the European Union and other markets.
“The chests and dressers conform to all local regulations and standards,” Xian Jiaxin, a company spokeswoman in Guangzhou, said in an interview.
Under Chinese standards, children’s furniture that is more than 60 centimeters high, or about 24 inches, must be able to be fastened to a wall and be accompanied by clear directions to do so, although many customers leave them unattached.
“We emphasize to customers that they must be fastened to a wall,” Ms. Xian said. She confirmed that the furniture recalled in North America was still sold in all of Ikea’s stores in China.
Last Thursday, the Shenzhen Consumer Council, a government agency, issued a statement calling for equal consumer protection and further investigations into the safety of the Ikea chests and dressers sold in China.
“The right to health is the most basic of human rights and should be subject to equal and nondiscriminatory protection in any country and place,” it said. “If products publicly recalled in North America are still being sold on the Chinese market, the Ikea Group must unconditionally recall these products.”
Ikea had not issued a response to the statement as of Tuesday.
“We are still undergoing internal communications about the council’s statement,” said Mark Peng, a company spokesman in Shenzhen. “I fully believe that we will implement an appropriate response after our internal communications are done.”
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The 5 Biggest Furniture Recalls in US History (and How IKEA Compares)
| Fast Co Design
By John Brownlee
After news leaked that they would be recalling up to 29 million chests and drawers in the wake of the third child death in three years, Ikea USA president Lars Petersson described the recall as "unprecedented" in the company's history. But the massive recall wasn't just unprecedented for Ikea: It marks the largest furniture safety recall in American history, according to data provided to Co.Design by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC).
In fact, looking at the top five furniture recalls in American history, it's not even close. The Ikea recall is three times bigger than the second largest recall in the CSPC's archives—and that recall was spread across an entire industry. Yet a look at the largest furniture recalls in U.S. history reveals that the last two decades have seen plenty of other large-scale recalls, if not quite as huge as Ikea's. Trigger alert: This list is likely to give new parents panic attacks.
IKEA
No doubt about it: Ikea's recall is the largest in U.S. history. Thanks to lightweight construction and low stability ratings, Ikea's dressers have killed at least six children since 1989, starting with a 20-month year old girl from Mt. Vernon, Virginia, who died after an unanchored Gute 4-drawer chest tipped over and pinned her against the footboard. 2014 was the deadliest year for Ikea-related deaths, when two kids were killed by Malm chests within a span of just four months, prompting Ikea to start distributing free anchoring kits. After the third child in two years was killed by a Malm dresser back in February, though, Ikea agreed to a " full recall, offering either full or partial refunds for every single three-plus drawer dresser or chest they have ever sold in America.
ACE BAYOU AND OTHERS
This is the grand poombah of non-IKEA recalls. In 1995, 10 million beanbag chairs sold by nine separate companies dating all the way back to 1971 were recalled by the CSPC. At least five children died after unzipping these beanbag chairs and inhaling or ingesting the small pellets of foam filling, choking them to death. Twenty-seven other children were injured or hospitalized for similar incidents. At least this recall had a permanent market effect, though. These days, beanbag seats are either sold completely sealed, or with locked childproof zippers.
SUMMIT MARKETING INTERNATIONAL
2005 was a bad year for furniture recalls. In May, 2.1 million children's folding chairs distributed by Summit Marketing International were recalled after the CSPC noticed that the safety lock tended to fail, catching children's fingers in the hinges. The chairs—which were sold nationwide between September 2002 and May 2005—ended up amputating the finger tips of four children, as well as a string of lacerations and bruises. By the time the CSPC recalled the chairs, though, Summit Marketing International had disappeared, leading the agency to recommend that anyone unlucky enough to have bought one to "discard or destroy" it.
TICO INTERNATIONAL
Another line of folding chairs for children, another series of ghastly finger amputations. In April 2005, the CSPC recalled 1.5 million children's folding chairs distributed by Atico International. A design flaw in the safety locking mechanism had a tendency to catastrophically fail, lopping off or mutilating the fingers of the children unfortunate enough to get them caught when the chair snapped shut. The chairs were sold in hardware, toy, grocery, and department stores before the CSPC finally got wind of the problem, at which point 11 children had been maimed by the chairs. Like Summit Marketing, though, Atico International had gone out of business by that time, leading the CSPC to recommend anyone who had such a chair to destroy it.
IDEA NUOVA
Noticing a pattern yet? This line of folding chairs for children, manufactured in China and distributed by Idea Nuova out of New York, were sold at discount department stores nationwide from September 2004 through June 2005, with many colorful designs, including Spider-Man and Disney Princess varieties. Unfortunately, the chair's safety lock was prone to failure, resulting in two kids losing their finger tips, and one child breaking their finger when the chair spontaneously snapped shut on it. In late July 2005, 1.1 million of these chairs were ultimately recalled.
What effect did these tragedies have on furniture design regulations? In the case of beanbag chairs, the CSPC issued a revised set of safety regulations a year after the recall, stating that any beanbag chair capable of being refilled must only be opened with a special tool. But the safety standards for collapsible children's chairs, while proposed, are still being debated.
But the Ikea recall might be too big to ignore. Senator Robert P. Casey Jr. (D., Pennsylvania) is calling for dresser manufacturers to meet mandatory stability requirements going forward, instead of the current voluntary standards that Ikea ignored to the peril of both the company and its customers' children.
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Federal official commends Barrington Hills woman during Ikea recall announcement
Jul 5, 2016 | Chicago Tribune/Barrington Courier-Review
By Todd Shields
While announcing how Ikea plans to recall 29 million chests and dressers that can easily tip over and trap children underneath, a top U.S. consumer safety official recognized a Barrington Hills woman for educating the public on unsafe children's furniture.
In a statement and press conference last week about the Ikea recall, Elliot Kaye, chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, referred to Lisa Siefert, a Barrington Hills resident whose 2-year-old son, Shane, was killed in March 2011 when a dresser tipped over and fell on him at home.
The accident didn't involve furniture from Ikea. But she started Shane's Foundation a year later, working with furniture manufacturers to make products safer, especially for children.
"The reference about me in [Kaye's] statement made me happy because he heard Shane's voice," she said. "I consider myself Shane's voice."
Ikea announced the recall June 28, saying the furniture can pose "a tip-over and entrapment hazard that can result in death or injuries to children" if it is not properly anchored to a wall. The CPSC underscored the risk at a news conference that included live demonstrations of chests tipping over.
The recall, which only applies to customers in the U.S. and Canada, is for several types of Ikea chests and dressers, including the Malm furniture line. Six children have been killed and three other dozens injured in incidents dating back decades, federal officials said.
All of the children killed were 3 years old or younger, the CPSC said. One of the children was killed about 27 years ago. The other deaths were more recent, between 2002 and 2016. The CPSC said it received 36 reports of children who were injured.
During the recall announcement, Kaye commended Siefert for turning her tragedy into advocacy.
"Individuals such as Lisa Siefert of Shane's Foundation, whose son Shane was killed by unstable furniture in his bedroom, are educating the public about the hazard of furniture tip-over and working tirelessly to improve furniture stability standards," Kaye said. "We share their sense of urgency."
Siefert said she started urging the CPSC about issues with furniture available at IKEA earlier this year, calling attention to a toddler's death that resulted from tipping IKEA furniture. Through her foundation work, Siefert also is a subcommittee member of the American Society for Testing and Materials.
"With other safety groups, we work together with furniture manufacturers to make it more safe," she said. "In particular, I want more focus on stronger testing and make it mandatory instead of voluntary."
Siefert also speaks about furniture safety at schools, mother groups and safety fairs, she said.
During the recall announcement, Kaye also said IKEA had cooperated with CPSC.
"I fully expect all furniture companies to do the same," he said. "Those failing to do so should pay close attention to the details of this recall, as they should expect to be hearing from us."
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These two companies recently issued recalls for products with safety issues
Jul 4, 2016 | Deseret News
By Sarah Anderson
Volkswagen, it turns out, is not the only company that's having difficulties with the product quality. Toyota and Ikea have recently issued recalls based upon safety issues with some of their products.
1. Toyota vehicles
Japan’s Toyota is issuing a worldwide recall of 3.37 million vehicles for possible defects in airbags and emissions control units, according to NBC News.
On Tuesday, the company announced that 1.43 million cars, including models of its Prius and Lexus CT200h cars made from 2010 to 2012, needed repairs to air bag inflators,Reuters stated. According to CNBC.com, the air bags’ inflator may have a small crack that could widen, leading to the airbags unexpectedly inflating and potentially harming a passenger.
The risk is highest when the inflators have been exposed to high humidity, according to The New York Times.
On Wednesday, another recall was issued by Toyota for 2.87 million cars of its line of Prius, Auris compact hatchback and its Corolla models made from 2006 to 2015, that had a potential defect in emissions control units, according to Reuters. Reuters added these units are prone to cracks as well, and that can develop further and lead to fuel leaks.
NBC News noted that some of the hybrid Prius models overlap and have both defects, bringing the total number of vehicles recalled to 3.37 million.
No injuries have been connected to either problem yet, according to NBC News. Toyota was aware of seven incidents where a side curtain airbag in a parked Prius car has partially inflated, but nobody was reported hurt as a result, Reuters stated.
Toyota will notify known owners by mail, according to CNBC.com. The company will also install free retention brackets to prevent the air bags from unwanted inflation, if customers wish, CNBC.com added.
Consumers can also check their vehicle’s status at toyota.com/recall.
2. Ikea
On Tuesday, Ikea announced a voluntary recall for six models of its MALM dressers, with consumers able to receive a full or partial refund or a free wall-anchoring repair kit.
This means that almost 36 million chests and dressers in the U.S. and Canada are up for recall, after the products were linked to the death of six children, according to Reuters. All six children were 3 years or younger, and additionally, Ikea received 36 reports of injuries to children, according to The New York Times.
"It is simply too dangerous to have the recalled furniture in your home unanchored, especially if you have young children," said Consumer Product Safety Commission chairman Elliott Kaye said in a statement, according to The Times.
Furniture or TV sets falling over kill a child every two weeks in U.S., The Times stated.
However, Lars Petersson, president and chief executive of Ikea USA, said to the Times that the recalled furniture was never meant to be free-standing, but instead attached via straps to the walls.
The recalled furniture can be brought back to an Ikea store or picked up by the company for free, according to CNN.
A full refund will be issued to furniture made between Jan. 1, 2002, and June 28, 2016, with a partial refund of half the original price given to anything made earlier, CNN stated. If the manufacturing date cannot be determined, a store credit of $50 will be given, it added.
To participate in the recall, contact Ikea at 1-866-856-4532 or by email at secureit@ikea.com.
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Amidst tip-over concerns, IKEA Canada recalls over six million dressers
Jul 4, 2016 | Woodworking Network
By Robert Dalheim
After six children were killed by falling furniture in the U.S. – three of which took place in the last two years – IKEA is recalling over six million dressers in Canada.
The recall involves all IKEA children’s chests of drawers taller than 60 cm (23 ½ inches) and adult chests of drawers taller than 75 cm (29 ½ inches) sold from 1993 to June 2016. Dozens of models are affected including Malm, Hamnes, and Brusali.
The recalled dressers can tip-over if not securely anchored to the wall, posing a tip-over and entrapment hazard that can result in death or serious injuries to children.
So far, Health Canada and IKEA Canada have reported that tip-overs have resulted in four minor injuries in the country.
The furniture giant is urging customers affected to immediately make sure the dresser is anchored to a wall, or at least out of children's reach. Customers should contact IKEA for a full refund or to receive a free-wall anchoring repair kit.
IKEA says it has always sold its chests of drawers with anchors and tethers to secure the furniture pieces to the wall, and that its dressers are safe when secured.
To further prevent future injury, IKEA says it’s working with Health Canada to now only sell dressers that meet North American standards on “free-standing stability” set by ASTM, a group that sets standards for consumer products worldwide.
July 5, 2016
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