Powering Performance

Analyst Insight: Regulatory pressure is intensifying globally to hold businesses accountable for sustainability in their operations as well as in their extended supply chains. Companies that vowed to make good on their sustainability pledge are now being scrutinized to deliver on those promises, as measured by their degree of regulatory compliance. 

After several stalled efforts in recent years (see previous Bennett Jones blog posts on Bill C-423 and Bill S-216), Parliament is poised to pass a supply chain transparency law aimed at preventing and reducing the risk of forced labour and child labour in supply chains. Private members Bill S-211, An Act to enact the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act and to amend the Customs Tariff is expected to pass third reading in the House of Commons shortly and will have immediate implications for Canadian business and importers.

As the new CEO of AIAG, Matt Pohlman collaborates with the board of directors to drive initiatives that support members companies as well as mobility industries across the spectrum. Along with directing and managing all aspects of AIAG, Pohlman sets strategic priorities and works closely with internal teams and global partners to facilitate innovative solutions to common industry challenges.

Don’t miss out…sign up for February and March FAE webinars today.

IMDS Basic Concepts and Application

This instructor-led course is designed to ensure users are familiar with all aspects of the IMDS system with an emphasis on creating quality product substance compliance data. The goal is to get you working in IMDS as quickly and efficiently as possible. Students will learn how to build, receive, and submit data in response to customer requests. All basic concepts will be reviewed in detail providing students with the confidence to function competently in the IMDS system.

Originally presented on January 26^th by Fred Coe (Global EDI, B2B Manager, General Motors), Terry Onica (Director, Automotive, QAD Inc.), and Jerry Czernel, CPIM (Senior Project Manager, AIM Computer Solutions), the first FAE webinar of 2023 focused on Supply Chain Careers in EDI and B2B Communications - the Lifeblood of the Automotive Industry.

The grave human rights conditions in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where Uyghur Muslims and other religious and ethnic minorities are subjected to internment and forced labor, among other abuses, demand international response. So far, the centerpiece of the U.S. response has been the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), signed into law by President Joe Biden in December 2021. The law is intended to prevent U.S. consumers from being complicit in these abuses through the purchase of Chinese goods made with forced labor. In doing so, it encourages global firms to take Xinjiang out of their supply chains in order to maintain access to U.S. markets.

The German government’s Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, which addresses human rights in the supply chain, went into force on January 1, 2023.

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are a set of guidelines for states and companies to prevent, address, and remedy human rights abuses committed in business operations. They were proposed by UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights John Ruggie and endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in June 2011. In the same resolution, the UN Human Rights Council established the UN Working Group on business & human rights.

Developed in response to increased pressure for sustainable manufacturing practices in key areas, AIAG’s Water Risk Management document helps industrial facilities with operations that use water identify the true cost by tracking water use and associated expenses (e.g., purchasing, treating, heating, disposal).