Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Apparel Manual 2007 PDF
Apparel Manual 2007 PDF
Contact Information
To obtain protocols please contact the QA project person or the appropriate testing lab listed on your test
request. To obtain the vendor billing, production schedule and spec forms please contact the buying staff.
For any questions feel free to contact Costco QA for direction.
Please contact the following individuals with any questions.
GENERAL MANUAL.....................................................................................6
PART 1 OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................6
1.1 RESPONSIBLITIES...........................................................................................................................6
1.2 BUYING & NON-FOODS QA DIVISION OF LABOR .................................................................8
1.3 WHAT ITEMS GO THROUGH THE QA PROCESS? .................................................................8
CASHMERE MANUAL...........................................................................37
PART 8 OVERVIEW..............................................................................................................37
8.1 CASHMERE BUYING GUIDELINES ..........................................................................................37
8.2 LAB QUALIFICATIONS FOR CASHMERE TESTING............................................................37
8.3 RESPONSIBILITIES .......................................................................................................................38
Part 1 OVERVIEW
Definitions
Testing Lab: refers to the many different test and inspections offices that provide factory evaluation,
testing and inspection services for the Costco Wholesale Non-Foods Quality Assurance Program.
QA: refers specifically to the Costco Wholesale Non-Foods Quality Assurance Department. QA
coordinates tests, inspections and factory evaluations for non-foods products for Costco Wholesale
buyers worldwide.
QA Process: refers to the QA Factory Evaluation, Test & Inspection Program that is coordinated through
the Non-Foods QA Department.
Test Request: refers specifically to the Testing Lab Apparel Test & Inspection Request Form.
RCDS: refers to the Report Coversheet & Defect Summary –Rejection and the Report Coversheet &
Defect Summary –Approval forms.
CV Test & Inspection Program: refers to a vendor-run program developed by QA for Costco Wholesale
vendors who want to complete development testing prior to production of an item.
The Costco Wholesale Non-Foods Quality Assurance Manual for Apparel details the procedures and
requirements of the QA Factory Evaluation, Test & Inspection Program for apparel. For questions about
the Costco Wholesale buying process, please contact the respective buying department.
The QA Program supports the commitment of Costco Wholesale to offer quality products to its members.
Costco Wholesale has established a comprehensive factory evaluation, testing and inspection program to
monitor and ensure compliance with all applicable government, industry and Costco Wholesale standards
for safety, quality and performance.
1.1 RESPONSIBLITIES
QA Responsibilities
• Create and distribute the Costco Wholesale Non-Foods QA Manual for Apparel to all vendors,
buyers and testing lab.
• Advise vendors and testing lab of any changes in procedures or requirements.
Vendor Responsibilities
• Know, understand and comply with all laws in both the country of origin and the destination
country as they relate to the factory and the product.
• Read and abide by all of QA’s procedural, performance and quality requirements as laid out in this
manual.
• Complete and return each Testing Lab Test & Inspection Request Form Confirmation to QA
within 48 hours.
• Test all trim, piece goods, pre-production garments and labeling as needed to ensure that there are
no failures during the production testing and inspection process.
• Contact the designated inspector coordinator to arrange factory evaluations and product
inspections 7 days in advance of the specified date on the Test Request to ensure the inspection
can be booked for the day requested.
• Submit the correct number of samples, with the proper labeling and the Test Request to the
designated testing lab by the specified date.
• Respond promptly to all emails and calls from QA and the buyer regarding needed corrective
action for product.
• If re-evaluations, re-tests or re-inspections are needed, the vendor must request and follow through
with these in a timely manner per QA’s instructions.
• Vendors are responsible for all costs (see Part 5) associated with the QA Process, including
factory evaluation, test and inspection fees and any freight charges incurred in mailing samples to
the testing lab and from the testing lab to QA and/or the inspectors.
• Vendors must pay all testing and inspection bills within 30 days of the invoice date.
• Vendor shall not ship any product until all evaluations, tests and inspections are completed and
approved and/or the buyer approves shipment.
Buyer Responsibilities
Note: Following are the buyer’s responsibilities for all products NOT sourced by the Private Label
Apparel/Manufacturing Department.
• Advise vendors in advance if they will be required to go through the QA Process.
• Send the Vendor Billing & Correspondence Information Form, Production Schedule Request
Form and Size Specifications Sheets, Product Specification Sheet, to the vendor for completion.
• Verify the information provided by the vendors when the forms are returned.
• Forward the forms with a completed Test and Inspection Request Form -Buyer Use to QA a
minimum of 4 weeks prior to the start of production.
• Approve or reject reference samples within 24 hours of receipt.
• Respond to rejected QA reports within 24 hours of receipt
• If the buyer disagrees with the QA Rating, both the buyer and the buyer’s GMM signatures are
necessary for a report override.
• Keep QA informed of instructions given to the vendor on how/when to correct product failures.
Note: The vendor should complete each stage and wait for approval from QA before proceeding to the
next stage. However, it is understood that this is not always possible. If the vendor does proceed with
production, the vendor should advise QA.
The QA Factory Evaluation Test & Inspection Program is commonly referred to throughout this
document as the QA Process.
Buyer sends completed and approved forms with BV CPS Test & Inspection Request Form – Buyer Use to QA.
6a1. Rejected: Vendor follows 6a2. Rejected: Testing, 6a3. Rejected: Vendor follows
QA instructions on RCDS prior Inspections and Production are QA instructions on RCDS and
stopped, return to step 4 (QA to submits retest samples to testing
to the re-Inspection, if no re-
advise details). lab. QA to advise details.
inspection is required – return
to 5a (re-inspection).
The Role of QA
• QA completes the Test Request (based on the above documentation from the buyer).
• The Test Request and other related QA documents are emailed to both the vendor and the testing
lab.
Note: Factories making children’s garments are required to have a metal detector. Based on the
production method for adult garments, if the factory does not have a metal detector but they do use needle
guards, have a needle replacement policy or some other means of ensuring no metal is left in the
garments, Costco may approve the factory despite not having a metal detector.
Costco Wholesale does not accept non-communication as a valid reason for a factory
evaluation, testing or inspection delays.
If more than one Costco Wholesale region is purchasing the SAME item, all countries can be listed on the
same test request. If this happens, the testing lab will perform the basic testing once. For apparel and
shoes, many countries use the ASTM and AATCC test methods. For this reason, much of the testing for
multiple countries is only actually performed once. The testing lab will then review the test protocol for
each additional country and will perform ONLY the tests that are unique to that specific country.
This procedure for sharing testing saves the lab time in testing the same item for multiple countries, and it
saves the vendors money in testing fees, sample expenses and freight fees as well as improving the
turnaround time for the reports. One report will be issued for each country, and a minimum report charge
will be invoiced for each “additional” country.
Test Turn Around Time Under normal circumstances, products can be tested against Costco
Wholesale’s test protocol within seven working days (not including the day the samples are received at
the testing lab).
It is not always possible for the testing lab to complete testing on an item within the established turn-
around time due to conditions inherent to specific tests.
Test results will NOT be issued in 7 working days if the Test Request is not included with the
samples or if insufficient samples are received. Testing will be either delayed or put on-hold until
more samples are received. It is critical that the vendor/factory submit the number of samples
required for full testing. The required number of samples can be found on the Test Request.
The actual address and contact information for that lab location
Using a lab other than the one listed on the test request will cause testing delays and in such case the
vendor may be required to pay additional shipping fees to ship the samples to the correct testing lab
location.
• Each “set” of samples should be packed separately and clearly marked “Test Samples”, “QA
Samples” or “Inspector Samples”
• Testing Lab’s Test & Inspection Request Form must be included with the samples when they are
submitted to the testing lab.
• Upon receiving the samples, the testing lab reviews them to ensure that there are an adequate
number of samples and that all the proper paperwork is included.
• The testing lab will match the test request received from the vendor to the test request received
from QA and if there are any differences the testing will be put on-hold and QA will be notified.
• If the testing lab receives the correct number of samples, they will lay them out and compare all
the sets to ensure that they are consistent in style, color, hand-feel, finishing and quality.
• If the testing lab approves the samples for consistency, the samples are divided and distributed as
noted below.
Test Samples
• The vendor must submit the correct number of samples for full quality and label testing.
• The needed number of samples per color/pattern is noted on the test request. Sampling requirements
for testing are detailed later in this section.
• It is recommended that vendors submit only the largest available sizes for testing to maximize the
amount of material available for testing.
• If submitting additional colors the vendor must follow the below procedures to ensure that the
additional color samples are correctly linked to the original report by the testing lab.
1. Submit the correct number of samples for each additional color with the original test request and a
copy of the Product Quality & Label Report (if it has already been issued).
2. A note should be attached requesting that the samples be tested as “additional colors”---not full
testing. This will ensure that the testing lab only conducts tests according to the Additional Color
Test Protocol instead of the full test protocol.
3. If “additional color” testing is not requested, the testing lab may conduct a complete test that will
result in higher test fees for the vendor.
• Additional samples of trim components such as zippers, buttons will also be requested on the test
request, please disregard if there are no trim components on the garment.
• The required number of samples for testing is explained in detail later in this section.
• All samples must have final labeling including all sewn in labels, hang tags, etc.
• If 94/62/EC testing has been requested, submit additional samples of all packaging and labeling.
• If final labeling (labels, hang-tags, etc.) has not been finalized/printed, drafts can be submitted.
Note: 94/62/EC can only be conducted on final production packaging and labeling.
If the factory submits insufficient samples, or if the samples are not clearly marked for the testing lab,
testing will be put on-hold or delayed resulting in testing that may need to be expedited at the vendor’s
expense.
If shipments are delayed due to these testing delays, the vendor may be responsible for air-shipment, fast
vessel charges and/or late shipment penalties at the buyer’s sole discretion.
Zipper Testing
Costco Wholesale specifies that YKK zippers be used on ALL garments.
Below is a guide showing the most commonly used YKK zippers. The “YKK “Zipper Numbers” are
listed under the relevant YKK “Fastener Class” number in the chart below.
The vendor should NOT submit any samples to the lab. The
form is being sent to the vendor as an FYI only.
• If this testing is required the vendor will receive a copy of a test request advising that Costco
Wholesale will be pulling random samples from its warehouses and submitting them to the
testing lab for testing.
• The product is usually keyed out by RTV as a defective. The RA (if required) is usually the
buyer’s name. This is an indication to the vendor that the samples were pulled and sent to
RTV by QA.
The buyer will decide how many inspections are required and at what point in production they are needed.
If inspections are required these will take place for every production run at every factory making the
product.
Most items are required to have two inspections. For small orders, buyers may request only one
inspection.
The number of inspections required will be noted on the test request.
Sampling Method
Sample size for inspection is determined by MIL-STD-105E, Single sampling plan for normal inspection level II.
Critical Defect:
A critical defect is one that could result in a hazardous or unsafe condition for individuals using the
product, a violation of any Federal regulation.
Major Defect:
A major defect is one that would result in the return of a product by the member or that could cause
decreased consumer satisfaction relating to the appearance and/or functionality of the product.
Minor Defect:
A minor defect is one not likely to render the product unserviceable or unsellable yet it does not conform
to Costco Wholesale standards.
The testing lab has been instructed NOT to give verbal results for quality testing before they actually
issue the report. This is QA’s request and is not the testing lab policy.
List the complete factory address and contact information. The vendor’s
address cannot be substituted for the actual factory address.
Vendor should provide a separate Vendor Billing and Correspondence
Information Form for each factory producing an item.
Rejected QA Reports
• RCDS are emailed to the buyer, Private Label Apparel/Manufacturing and International only (as
applicable)—not the vendor.
• The title of the emailed RCDS will be as follows: “QA, REJ, Vendor Name, Item # Destination
country, Report #”.
• The vendor will not be notified by QA with the RCDS report rating until the buyer replies.
• After the buyer has reviewed the RCDS it will be forwarded to the vendor with instructions for the
needed corrective action.
• Reports that are Rejected or Unsafe / Misleading will require the Vendor to Retest or complete a Re-
inspection.
• Prior to the retest or re-inspection the Vendor will need to correct failures indicated on the Defect
Summary & QA Corrective Action Plan.
The vendor should follow the corrective action plan on the second page of the RCDS. This page explains
QA’s corrective action plan and requirements for products.
Approved Rating
An Approved rating means the product/factory is approved. QA will advise if any improvements are
needed.
Disapproved Rating
A Disapproved rating means the product/factory does not meet all of QA’s requirements, but the problems
are minor enough that we can accept the problems for the current production. In this case a re-test/re-
inspection is not needed but improvements should be made for future production (if possible) and/or for
future items quoted.
Rejected Rating
A Rejected rating means that QA feels the product/factory is not acceptable until improvements are made.
These required improvements are noted on page 2 of the RCDS. All defects/problems requiring a re-
test/re-inspection or evaluation should be corrected and retested/re-inspected. If a Rejected report is
received, production should be stopped until all products are corrected.
Buyer Override for Rejected Reports
• QA is a service department to Costco Wholesale’s worldwide buyers. It is our job to facilitate the
QA Process and to assist the buyers in ensuring the compliance, quality and specifications of their
products.
• While QA makes recommendations to the buyers on the acceptability of reports and product, it is
ultimately the buyer’s decision as to whether the report and the product will be accepted.
Costco Wholesale Non-Foods QA Manual for Apparel - 26 - Revised 6/09/03
• Therefore, it is possible that QA could reject a report/product/factory, but the buyer/GMM could
disagree (for various reasons) and accept the report/product/factory.
• If the buyer disagrees with a rejected report (this will be noted on the bottom on the RCDS) it
means that a re-test/re-inspection is NOT needed.
• However, the vendor should still make every effort to follow QA’s recommendations on the
second page of the RCDS and to improve the quality of the product or factory for future
production and for future items quoted to Costco Wholesale.
Unsafe/Misleading Rating
An Unsafe/Misleading rating means that the product/factory has serious defects or problems which violate
the laws of the destination country or which could result in a hazardous product. The product/factory
must be corrected and a re-test/re-inspection or evaluation conducted as soon as possible.
Only a Senior Vice President or higher can override an Unsafe/Misleading report.
If a vendor needs to retest a product, they should make the needed corrections to the product, attach the
RCDS or original failing report and submit samples to the testing lab for retest. If the vendor is unsure of
how many samples to submit, they should contact the testing lab for clarification
If the vendor has additional questions, or wants additional testing done (in addition to the testing required
by QA), they should include these additional instructions with the sample to the testing lab.
Upon receiving the samples and RCDS, or other testing documents the testing lab will reference the
RCDS they received from QA, verify the two are the same, then proceed with retesting the failures noted
on the RCDS.
If the vendor submits to the bank for payment without the L/C letter there will be an automatic
discrepancy. When Costco Wholesale receives this discrepancy, VP approval will be required to waive
the discrepancy (the buyer cannot waive this).
Shipping Authorization
All requested factory evaluations, testing and inspections should be completed and the vendor should
receive the QA Letter before any product is shipped.
No documentation is needed from the testing lab in order to ship the product.- Only the buyer can
authorize shipment.
As soon as the testing lab receives the test request packet from QA, they should immediately notify both
QA and the vendor that testing will go on-hold when samples are received. The goal is to resolve all
outstanding bills before the samples arrive at the testing lab.
7.1 EXPLANATION
Per the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): “Children’s sleepwear is any article of clothing,
such as a nightgown, pajama, robe or loungewear, sized from above 9 months and up to size 14, that is
intended to be worn primarily for sleeping or activities related to sleeping”.
There are very stringent requirements for testing children’s sleepwear for sale in the United States (see
test protocols for other country requirements). The regulations can be obtained from the CPSC website
(www.cpsc.gov).
The regulations are published in the Code of Federal Regulations in Title 16, Part 1615 for children’s
sleepwear sized above 9 months and up to 6X, and in Title 16 Part 1616 for children’s sleepwear sized 7
through 14.
The purpose of the regulations is to protect children from burns. According to CPSC guidelines in the
United States, children’s sleepwear must be either tight fitting or flame resistant. If they are “tight fitting”,
they must match strict criteria for measurements at multiple points within the garment, to ensure the fit is
snug at every size. This is to eliminate airflow between the skin and fabric, so as not to allow a flame to
catch on the fabric. If sleepwear isn’t tight fitting, it must be flame resistant and able to meet strict
flammability test requirements.
In addition to the standard QA process (factory evaluation, product test for quality & label and
inspections) all sleepwear must also be thoroughly tested (in accordance with the CPSC) during the
production process to ensure that it is in compliance with all requirements.
Following is an explanation of all requirements that manufacturers must follow when producing
children’s sleepwear. It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to perform all required testing at each stage
of production, and keep the required samples and documentation to verify the testing was done.
If the manufacturer does not already have an established quality assurance program for testing children’s
sleepwear during the various stages of production, QA suggests that the manufacturer use the CV
Development Testing Program (see Part 7 for details).
Costco Wholesale Non-Foods QA Manual for Apparel - 33 - Revised 6/09/03
For additional information on Children’s sleepwear requirements and size specifications, the vendor can
contact the CPSC, Office of Compliance, Washington, D.C. 20207, telephone: 301-504-0608.
When QA receives the Test Request from the buyer, QA will submit a test request to both the lab and the
vendor. The lab will contact the vendor for copies of all flammability testing documentation.
Documentation from the fabric stage (FPU), prototype seams and trim stage, and from the garment stage
(GPU) will be required. Failure to promptly mail all requested information will result in delays in the QA
Process.
If the vendor is unable to provide this documentation, the purchase orders will be subject to cancellation
by the buyer.
While it is the manufacturer’s responsibility to test their product at various stages of production
(following CPSC requirements), QA will also coordinate the process on the final garment and labeling to
ensure the product and labeling meet all Costco Wholesale requirements. (See Part 3 for details).
Provided the vendor can produce copies of all testing documents from all stages, QA will not require
garment (GPU) flammability testing to be done during the Product Quality & Label testing. QA will
advise the testing lab (see Test Request) to test ONLY one (1) random color/pattern for flammability.
If the vendor uses the testing lab for their in-house flammability testing, no additional flammability
testing will be required during the Product Quality & Label testing.
It is best to use the same lab that will be performing the production testing. Thus, the lab will have all
reference documents. For questions of which lab to use, please contact the proper QA project person.
Costco Wholesale reserves the right to require flammability testing on all colors/patterns.
Tight fitting sleepwear (usually cotton knit) must be manufactured to very tight size specifications, which
generally run small compared to other clothing in the same size range. These garments must not exceed
the maximum dimensions specified in the CFR regulations for the chest, waist, seat, upper arm, thigh,
wrist or ankle.
The vendor is responsible for conducting all necessary tests and inspections during to product to ensure
that all garments meet the size requirements for tight fitting sleepwear.
CASHMERE MANUAL
Part 8 OVERVIEW
8.1 CASHMERE BUYING GUIDELINES
The following guidelines were established with and for the buyers to help ensure the quality and
specifications of all cashmere product purchased. These guidelines are specifically for all 100%
Cashmere or the 50/50 cashmere program.
If the vendor has any questions about these buying guidelines, they should contact the Costco Wholesale
buyer for additional information and clarification.
• Goods to be purchased FOB Costco Depots (USA orders only).
• As Costco Wholesale will not be doing the importing, we will require a copy of all shipping
documents, including the Bill of Lading and the following documents (USA orders only):
Commercial invoice for raw cashmere (white out pricing) Packing List.
• Goods should be purchased on Open Account with enough dating to ensure that product is
received and put on the floor long enough to detect any problems before payment is made.
• All specs, agreements, purchase orders will state “100% cashmere”, or 50% Cashmere/ 50% other
fiber required by the specific buyer.
• Vendor must have a USA office from whom an FTC Continuing Guaranty is issued (USA orders
only).
• Costco Wholesale must have a copy of the vendor’s Continuing Guaranty on file. (copies to QA &
buyer)
• QA will verify the CG with the FTC.
• List of all factories involved in Costco Wholesale production & their background and relationship
to the vendor from whom Costco Wholesale purchased the goods.
• Vendor must advise if the factory will be running any other fibers at the same time (i.e., cotton,
wool, silk) as this could pose a potential risk of contamination.
• Vendor to provide detailed cashmere specs (see forms section for the Cashmere Specification
Sheet)
• Vendor acceptance of purchase orders is acceptance of all terms, conditions, and requirements of
the Costco Wholesale Cashmere Purchasing and QA Program.
8.3 RESPONSIBILITIES
QA Responsibilities
• Track all CV and QA coordinated testing and inspections using the Cashmere Production Tracking
Spreadsheet to ensure that all lots of cashmere are tested and approved at each stage of production.
• Submit the Test Request to the vendor and the designated testing labs by the specified dates.
• The buyer sends a copy of the cashmere tracking spreadsheet to the vendor to be filled out in every
stage of testing.
o Every time a test is complete, the vendor should add the results to the spreadsheet.
o At the end of the month an updated spreadsheet should be sent to QA and the buyer from
the vendor.
• QA keeps all results on a separate spreadsheet on the Costco internal P drive, plus all records, hard
and soft for reference.
• The designated testing lab performs all production testing except fiber ID.
• The Brachi Cashmere lab performs all fiber ID testing for Costco.
• The vendor sends in pre-production samples to the Brachi lab for
1) Raw Fiber
o Raw Fiber tests include: color, fiber content, micron thickness, and fiber length (KS and
Hathaway tests needed)
Color must be white.
Fiber length must be a min. 35 mm.
Micron thickness must be a desired max 15.5, but an actual max. 15.9
2) Dyed Fiber
o Dyed fiber tests include: raw fiber color, fiber content, and micron thickness (KS and
Hathaway tests needed)
Raw fiber color must be white.
Fiber length must be a desired min. 35 mm, but an actual min. 30.0 mm
Micron thickness must be a desired max 15.5, but an actual max. 15.9
Test Samples
• The vendor must submit the correct number of samples for full quality and label testing.
• The needed number of samples per color/pattern is noted on the test request. Sampling requirements
for testing are detailed later in this section.
• It is recommended that vendors submit only the largest available sizes for testing to maximize the
amount of material available for testing.
• Additional samples of trim components such as zippers, buttons will also be requested on the test
request, please disregard if there are no trim components on the garment.
• The required number of samples for testing is explained in detail later in this section.
• All samples must have final labeling including all sewn in labels, hang tags, etc.
• If 94/62/EC testing has been requested, submit additional samples of all packaging and labeling.
• If final labeling (labels, hang-tags, etc.) has not been finalized/printed, drafts can be submitted.
Note: 94/62/EC can only be conducted on final production packaging and labeling.
QA and Brachi Fiber Content Samples
• The vendor must submit the correct number of samples for QA/ buyer approval and Brachi Cashmere
testing samples.
Costco Wholesale Non-Foods QA Manual for Apparel - 40 - Revised 6/09/03
• The required number of samples needed per color/pattern is noted on the test request.
• The number needed for QA approval and Brachi testing for garments is usually 1 sample per
color/pattern representing all sizes. (The garment will be cut in half. Half for Brachi testing and half
for Costco QA reference.)
• All samples must have final labeling including all sewn in labels, hang tags, etc.
• If final labeling (labels, hang-tags, etc.) has not been finalized/printed, drafts can be submitted.
Inspector Samples
• The vendor must submit the correct number of samples for use by the inspector during inspections, the
required number of samples per color pattern is noted on the test request.
• The required number of samples needed for use in the inspections is usually 1 sample representing all
styles and a 12” x 12” swatch of each additional color/ style unless otherwise noted on the Test
Request.
• All samples must have final labeling including all sewn in labels, hang tags, etc.
• If final labeling (labels, hang-tags, etc.) has not been finalized/printed, drafts can be submitted.
10.1 EXPLANATION
This is a vendor initiated and coordinated program for testing cashmere at each stage of production prior
to the assembly of the final garment. This program is NOT to be used for the testing of garments.
All development testing will be conducted by the Brachi Testing Lab. The Brachi Testing Lab is the only
lab approved to test cashmere for the Costco Wholesale program.
At each stage of production the vendor must pull samples of the cashmere and submit them with the
Brachi Costco Vendor (CV) Cashmere Development Test Request Form directly to the Brachi Testing
Lab.
The cashmere testing lab will test the samples primarily for fiber content, micron thickness of the fibers,
length of the fibers, and the raw fiber color. The specific testing required at each stage will be noted
below.
Note this is a mandatory testing program (if claimed 100% cashmere). If any testing required under the
CV Cashmere Testing Program is not completed, the purchase orders are subject to cancellation by the
buyer.
10.2 CV FORM
• The vendor must complete the Brachi Costco Vendor (CV) Cashmere Development Test Request
Form.
• The vendor must submit this form each time samples are submitted for testing.
• Vendor must indicate from what stage of production the samples were pulled – Raw Fiber After
Spinning, After Dyeing, After Knitting
• The vendor must provide the required specification for the fibers being submitted.
Costco Wholesale Non-Foods QA Manual for Apparel - 41 - Revised 6/09/03
10.3 SAMPLE SUBMISSION PROCEDURES
• At each of the below noted stages of production, the vendor must pull samples of cashmere and
submit them to the Brachi Testing Lab.
• The samples should be accompanied by a completed copy of the Brachi Costco Vendor (CV)
Cashmere Development Test Request Form (hereafter referred to as the CV Test Request Form) for
each submission to the Cashmere Testing Lab.
• The form must include all requested information. If all the required information is not provided to the
Brachi Testing Lab, Costco Wholesale may be unable to link your CV reports to your production.
Knitting Stage
This section only applies if the vendor is using separate facilities to knit the panels and assemble the
garments. If the same facility is responsible for both the knitting of the panels and final garment
assembly then the production garment is used for the knitted panel test. The CV Testing is
complete, no additional testing is needed under the CV Program, see Part 3 for Cashmere QA
Process details.
Costco Wholesale will require the vendor to pull 1 knitted panel in each color from each lot of knitted
panels and submit them directly to the Brachi Testing Lab for fiber ID & spec verification for:
• Average micron thickness
• Fiber content
• Raw fiber color
Results & Corrective Action
• Failures (less than 100%) will be rejected---additional retests will not be accepted.
• The failing lot of knitted panels (failing color only) must NOT be used for Costco Wholesale
production.
• The vendor must confirm in writing to the buyer and QA their corrective plan.
• If a new lot of raw materials is sourced, the new lot# must be provided to QA for tracking
purposes.
• The new lot will need to be tested starting at the raw fiber stage.
Brachi
Laboratorio di Analisi
Via Fonda Di Mezzana, 61/L
59100 Prato, Italy
Contacts:
Mr. Primo Brachi and Mr. Giancarlo De Blasi
Phone: 0113-905-7459-1343
Fax: 0113-905-7459-3975
E-Mail: Mr. Primo Brachi: studioprimo@brachi.it
Mr. Giancarlo De Blasi: laboratorio@brachi.it