Latest news with #qualitycontrol
The National
7 hours ago
- Business
- The National
TUV Rheinland announces key regulatory update under Iraq's ICIGI programme
TUV Rheinland, a global leader in quality, safety and certification services, announces a critical regulatory update mandated by Iraq's Central Organisation for Standardisation and Quality Control (COSQC). Effective June 17, 2025, an updated list of product standards will be applicable under the ICIGI Programme (Pre-Import Inspection, Testing and Certification Programme for Goods Entering Iraq). These revisions impact key sectors, including construction materials, food products, cosmetics and steel manufacturing, ensuring alignment with evolving Iraqi and international standards. The revised standards include, but are not limited to: Construction and Industrial Materials: IQS 1980:2024 (Heat-insulating clay bricks), IQS 5264-1:2024 (steel bars for concrete reinforcement – smooth bars), ENG 92:2024 (Steel bars for concrete reinforcement) Food and Consumer Goods: IQS 2245:2024 (sugar), IQS 15:2024 (olive oil and olive pomace oil) Dental and Speciality Products: IQS 2300:2024 (gypsum products for dental medicine) This update ensures alignment with evolving compliance requirements for goods entering the Republic of Iraq. Importers and manufacturers must adhere to the revised standards to obtain a Certificate of Conformity, mandatory for customs clearance. The updated list underscores COSQC's commitment to enhancing product safety and regulatory efficiency. In line with this regulatory development, TUV Rheinland reaffirms its authorisation by COSQC (under Iraq's Ministry of Planning) to issue Certificates of Conformity for regulated goods, effective March 1, 2025. The scope includes inspection, testing and certification across sectors such as food, construction, engineering, chemicals and textiles to ensure compliance with Iraqi and international standards. Fares Naouri, senior vice president, said: 'Iraq's growing demand for compliant infrastructure and products requires rigorous oversight. Our COC services, backed by advanced laboratories, expert teams, and streamlined processes, help prevent substandard goods from entering the market while accelerating customs clearance.' Issa Alaydie, general manager for government inspections and international trade, said: 'This accreditation reflects COSQC's vision that all regulated products entering the Iraqi market comply with the applicable Iraqi standards. Through document verification, testing and shipment validation, we ensure a transparent and efficient pathway for imports.' From TUV Rheinland's scope, the key programme details encompass the following critical components.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Chinese man blames failed blind date on saggy T-shirt, claims looks like sleepwear
A Chinese man has reported a T-shirt manufacturer to the authorities after a failed blind date, claiming that the shirt was so saggy it looked like sleepwear, which he blamed for being rejected. Advertisement The incident went viral on mainland social media, amusing many netizens and prompting the authorities to launch an investigation into the product's quality. In mid-May, a man surnamed Wang, who works as a programmer, said that he had recently gone on a blind date wearing a T-shirt he had bought online for 59 yuan (US$8). He claimed that the poor quality of the shirt, a thin and flimsy item which resembled sleepwear, left a bad impression on the woman and ultimately led to the failure of the date. The man says the T-shirt, above, made it appear like he was either wearing pyjamas or that he was unemployed. Photo: Douyin 'I bought their so-called 'heavyweight T-shirt' for 59 yuan, but it turned out to be thin and see-through. I wore it on a blind date, and the woman thought I had shown up in pyjamas,' Wang said.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Asia Agent Launches Tiered Monthly Support Packages to Help Brands Take Control of Their Supply Chain in Asia
Asia Agent Logo – Direct Manufacturing Support Across Vietnam, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and China. Your Team on the Ground. Asia Agent introduces new monthly service tiers—Quarter-Time, Part-Time, and Full-Time—giving international brands direct access to factory support, quality control, legal assistance, and boots-on-the-ground teams in Asia's top sourcing hubs. Singapore - May 30, 2025 - Asia Agent, the go-to partner for direct, transparent manufacturing across Asia, has announced the launch of its new tiered monthly support packages—designed to give international brands full control over their production in Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and China. The new model offers three service tiers — Quarter-Time ($595), Part-Time ($995), and Full-Time ($1,795) — enabling companies of any size to afford real, boots-on-the-ground support in the region's top manufacturing hubs. 'We've seen too many brands fly blind — working through middlemen, getting stuck in trading companies, and losing money through poor communication, slow production, and bad quality,' said Eldad Shashua, Chief Strategy Officer at Asia Agent. 'This is about giving brands back their control. No commissions, no hidden fees. Just your own team on the ground.' Why It Matters Now With tariffs, supply chain instability, and rising China costs, many brands are scrambling to transition out of China — but doing it without local support is a gamble. These monthly packages give clients the power to: Every package includes access to local project managers, quality control officers, legal support, and Asia Agent's full operational infrastructure. One Flat Monthly Fee, Full Transparency Asia Agent's monthly plans are intentionally simple: clients pay a flat monthly rate for a set number of support hours. There are no markups on orders, no fees per container, and no conflicts of interest. The company emphasizes that all services are fully client-aligned: 'We never represent the factory. We only work for you.' Now Supporting All Major Asian Hubs With fully operational teams in Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and China, the packages offer both stability for current operations and flexibility to expand or shift production. About Asia Agent Asia Agent helps international brands take back control of their supply chain. Through on-the-ground teams, factory-direct relationships, and strict contracting, Asia Agent ensures clients reduce costs, improve quality, and manufacture without middlemen. Media Contact Company Name: Asia Agent Pte Ltd Contact Person: Eldad Shashua Email: Send Email Address:60 PAYA LEBAR ROAD 11-01 PAYA LEBAR SQUARE City: SINGAPORE Country: Singapore Website: Press Release Distributed by To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Asia Agent Launches Tiered Monthly Support Packages to Help Brands Take Control of Their Supply Chain in Asia
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Asia Agent Launches Tiered Monthly Support Packages to Help Brands Take Control of Their Supply Chain in Asia
"Asia Agent Logo – Direct Manufacturing Support Across Vietnam, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and China. Your Team on the Ground." Asia Agent introduces new monthly service tiers—Quarter-Time, Part-Time, and Full-Time—giving international brands direct access to factory support, quality control, legal assistance, and boots-on-the-ground teams in Asia's top sourcing hubs. Singapore - May 30, 2025 - Asia Agent, the go-to partner for direct, transparent manufacturing across Asia, has announced the launch of its new tiered monthly support packages —designed to give international brands full control over their production in Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and China. The new model offers three service tiers — Quarter-Time ($595), Part-Time ($995), and Full-Time ($1,795) — enabling companies of any size to afford real, boots-on-the-ground support in the region's top manufacturing hubs. 'We've seen too many brands fly blind — working through middlemen, getting stuck in trading companies, and losing money through poor communication, slow production, and bad quality,' said Eldad Shashua, Chief Strategy Officer at Asia Agent. 'This is about giving brands back their control. No commissions, no hidden fees. Just your own team on the ground.' Why It Matters Now With tariffs, supply chain instability, and rising China costs, many brands are scrambling to transition out of China — but doing it without local support is a gamble. These monthly packages give clients the power to: Every package includes access to local project managers, quality control officers, legal support, and Asia Agent's full operational infrastructure. One Flat Monthly Fee, Full Transparency Asia Agent's monthly plans are intentionally simple: clients pay a flat monthly rate for a set number of support hours. There are no markups on orders, no fees per container, and no conflicts of interest. The company emphasizes that all services are fully client-aligned: 'We never represent the factory. We only work for you.' Now Supporting All Major Asian Hubs With fully operational teams in Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and China, the packages offer both stability for current operations and flexibility to expand or shift production. About Asia Agent Asia Agent helps international brands take back control of their supply chain. Through on-the-ground teams, factory-direct relationships, and strict contracting, Asia Agent ensures clients reduce costs, improve quality, and manufacture without middlemen.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Frinks AI, a manufacturing AI startup by IIT Hyderabad alumni, raises $5.4m led by Prime Ventures
BANGALORE, India, May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Frinks AI, a deep-tech startup founded by IIT Hyderabad alumni, has raised $5.4 million in a Pre-Series A round led by Prime Venture Partners, bringing its total funding to $6.25 million. The company is building next-generation Vision AI systems that help manufacturers automate and elevate quality control on their production lines. The round also saw participation from existing investor Chiratae Ventures, along with Navam Capital and Ashok Atluri, Founder of Zen Technologies. Frinks AI is additionally backed by prominent industry leaders including Mr. S Ramadorai (former MD & CEO, TCS), Dr. V Sumantran (former Executive Director, Tata Motors), Dr. Tarun Ramadorai (Prof Imperial College of London), and Dr. Gopichand Katragadda (former Group CTO, Tata Sons), who continue to support the company as strategic investors and advisors. What began as an ambitious idea in the research labs of IIT Hyderabad is now a transformative force in industrial AI. Founded by Aditya Agrawal, Dharmgya Sharma, and Subhra S. Bhattacherjee, Frinks AI is developing foundational vision models — highly generalizable AI systems purpose-built for visual inspection and quality control in manufacturing. 'With ongoing supply chain disruptions and rising global trade tensions, we're seeing a strong push toward localized manufacturing as countries prioritize internal consumption,' said Aditya Agrawal, CEO and Co-founder of Frinks AI. 'This marks the beginning of a new industrial revolution—one powered by advanced technologies that drive higher productivity and cost efficiency. Frinks AI is at the forefront of this transformation, helping manufacturers worldwide become more competitive, resilient, and future-ready.' Frinks AI's Vision AI platform is already in use by leading manufacturers across automobile, consumer goods, building materials, and medical devices sectors. Customers have reported measurable improvements in product quality, fewer defects, and major efficiency gains on the factory floor. With the latest funding, Frinks AI aims to scale its platform across global markets, invest aggressively in R&D, and expand its presence in the US which is a key market for such technologies. To accelerate growth, the company is actively exploring partnerships with automation companies and OEM's for a joint go-to-market initiative. These foundational models are designed to overcome long-standing reliability and generalisation challenges in industrial machine vision, by offering superior intelligence and greater adaptability. 'Visual inspection in manufacturing has been around for 50 years but owing to rule-based approach, its applicability has been limited to <15% scenarios typical on the assembly line. Frinks has leveraged advancements in image processing, AI compute to develop manufacturing specific machine vision models. By combining foundational models with in-house fine-tuning using a small set of images, Frinks is able to guarantee 99.99% accuracy to its customers. It is our pleasure to partner with Aditya, Dharmagya and Subhra in expanding this 10x product to India as well as taking it global,' said Brij Bhushan, Partner at Prime VP. As factories embrace AI-led production, Frinks AI is enabling them to achieve higher quality, lower costs, and faster turnaround. Powered by five years of deep research, its foundational vision models automate the cognitive layer of manufacturing, starting with visual inspection and quality control. With a no-code platform, manufacturers can easily customize workflows, integrate with existing systems, and scale across lines. Today, Frinks AI's intelligence runs on over 1,000 production lines globally across automotive, consumer goods, medical devices, cement, and steel boosting throughput, reducing defects, and ensuring consistent quality. Photo: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Frinks AI
