Apple publishes supplier details for the first time, IMP discuss the details that lead to that decision.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) January 31, 2012 --

IMP is a major player in the sales and marketing industry in Portugal. The recent move to Italy has been at the top of the managing director’s mind in recent months and the time and effort has paid off. ‘The story regarding criticism of how works are treated is of interest to us as we believe a great working environment is key to our success,’ continues to MD of IMP. Some of Apple's most popular gadgets are made by manufacturers based in Asia. Apple has published a list of its suppliers for the first time as it looks to head off criticism over how workers are treated. The company also said it has increased its inspection of factories in a bid to ensure proper working conditions for suppliers' employees.

Apple came under fire last year after workers committed suicide at factories owned by its supplier Foxconn. The tech giant had so far kept details of its supply chain secret. "Apple is committed to driving the highest standards for social responsibility throughout our supply base," the company said in its supplier responsibility report. With a Apple being such a massive company it is important that certain things don’t go unnoticed. Procedures and policies must be implemented to ensure all stakeholders are protected. This will ensure the smooth running of product development and the supply chain. The managing director of IMP relates to the above comments saying, ‘the more time and effort that is put into these details the more successful your company will be. Looking after the people that ensure your company’s success, however small their role is essential.’
"We require that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made." Apple said it conducted 229 audits at different factories over the past year, during which it uncovered various cases of non-compliance of labour rights.

It said that it found that employees at 93 factories had exceeded their "weekly working hour limits", while there had been payment violations at 108 facilities. The company said it also found that five factories had employed underage workers, though that was due to "insufficient controls to verify age or detect false documentation". This discovery propelled Apple into action to sort out these issues and said that it was working closely with its suppliers to ensure that these issues were sorted out.

An important step in this process is for Apple to educate their supplier’s employees about their rights. "Apple-designed training programs educate workers about local laws, their fundamental rights as workers, occupational health and safety, and Apple's Supplier Code of Conduct." IMP has achieved amazing success in recent years in the sales and marketing industry in Portugal. ‘Knowing what you need to improve on is essential, clearly Apple knew that they had to rectify their suppliers working conditions and they did. This is why they are so successful in their market place,’ continues the MD or IMP.

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