Analysis of product recalls: identification of recall initiators and causes of recall

Nowadays, product recalls have become an inevitable problem striking companies and manufacturers. If no sufficient preparation is made, product recalls can easily affect the bottom line. The objective of this paper is to analyse product recall notices and identify major issues of recall such as types of recalled products, causes of recall, recall initiators, and the relationship between products, recall initiators and causes of recall. This research provides an in depth analysis of recalls patterns through content analysis of historical recall notices. Analysis shows most food items are recalled due to manufacturing fault, for electrical appliances major causes of recall are design fault, and kids’ products are recalled due to design and manufacturing faults, and for all types of products most recalls are initiated by the manufacturer. The result of this research will help manufacturers look at the root causes of recall and find solution to the quality issues of product design and manufacturing. This research can be further extended to incorporate data from various countries.Kamrul Ahsan, Indra Gunawa