Capabilities:
Product Recalls

• Program design
• Effectiveness rate projections
• Development and analysis of outreach options
• Recall tracking and evaluation
• Program reports and close-out audits

Recall Design & Evaluation

Increasingly, companies find it important to develop quantitative data to provide input and feedback for their decision-making processes on product recalls and retrofits. Also it is frequently important to evaluate the overall adequacy of the product recall effort and its impact on product safety.

We help design cost-effective, responsive programs which meet the concerns of management, customers, regulators, and product liability counsel. We collect data and evidence for use in litigation or in proceedings with regulatory agencies such as the CPSC. We evaluate how a particular recall program compares with recalls or retrofits of comparable products, or the recall's expected effect on the injury rate in the future. In addition, we work with several nationally recognized fulfillment contractors which can provide firms with assistance in effectively implementing recalls.

A critical dimension of our recall/retrofit practice is data. Heiden Associates maintains a unique comprehensive computerized database that profiles the significant characteristics of several thousand product recalls and retrofits. These data can be quickly accessed by product category, type of hazard, type of corrective action taken, or other factors of interest. In addition, we have developed several important statistical modelling tools to assist in our recall/retrofit work, including a product life-cycle model that allows us to estimate the number of products remaining in use that are subject to potential recall.

Consumer Outreach Programs

Many companies undertake corrective actions that involve relatively low-hazard or "hard-to-find" products. For these situations, it is difficult to retrieve affected units from the field even if the recalling firm goes well beyond the standard notification techniques.

Heiden Associates can identify and evaluate options for reaching consumers that rely on specialized communications channels, including newspapers, magazines, and Internet sites. We work with our clients' staff and outside contractors to develop effective notification materials and track response by source to identify worthwhile opportunities for further outreach, where possible.