How to Ensure Regulatory Compliance in Manufacturing Industry?

The world of compliance risk management is in a constant state of change. Because of this, organizations continuously struggle to ensure that their business operations are compliant not only with governmental regulations but also with ethical values. With this in mind, it seems that compliance teams worldwide are constantly playing catch up in determining what business units, departments, and processes are prone to compliance failures and which are not. Being behind on this process can be extremely dangerous to the organization as compliance failure can lead to a plethora of fines, setbacks, and a diminishing reputation among customers. It would seem to many compliance teams that nothing short of the ability to predict the future is suitable enough to identify and prevent emerging risks effectively. A compliance risks analysis may be able to give organizations exactly what they need to build a robust compliance program better and better mitigate the potential of emerging risk.

Regulatory change is accelerating. As industries grapple with new technologies and digital transformation, compliance teams face the monumental task of keeping up with the regulatory requirements. Modern business has become an integrated web of supply chains and third-party partnerships. While such evolutions are expected as markets change, the pervasiveness of these relatively young developments and the speed at which they influence the modern economy leaves regulators and compliance teams alike racing to address new forms of risk.

Whether compliance is demanded through regulatory requirements or voluntary ethics and values, effective and efficient compliance is necessary for any organization. As the modern business world becomes increasingly complex and dynamic, the level of regulatory compliance grows with it. Increasing demand for robust cyber security and data privacy and rising environmental standards are only a few examples of the greater compliance standards imposed on organizations. Failure to abide by these standards can be detrimental to the organization’s financial standing or reputation.

Effective policies are an essential aspect of any organization as they dictate day-to-day processes whether that be legal and regulatory or internal processes determining success. The necessity for effective policies has only increased as the business world becomes more dynamic and complex. Organizations must ensure that their policy management is robust and dynamic to meet the needs of modern-day business.

Gone are the years of simplicity in business operations. Rapid growth and change in risks, regulations, globalization, distributed operations, competitive velocity, technology, and business data encumbers organizations of all sizes. Keeping business strategy, compliance, uncertainty, complexity, and change in sync is a significant challenge for boards and executives and management professionals throughout all levels of the business.

Organizations often fail to monitor and manage compliance controls effectively in an environment that demands agility. This results in the inevitable failure of compliance that provides case studies for future generations on how poor internal control management leads to the demise of organizations: even those with strong brands.

Organizations need to be organizations of integrity. What we communicate to the world about our policies, compliance and ethics practices, values, code of conduct, regulatory commitments, and now ESG statements is a reality in the organization and not fiction. The Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer (CECO) has become the Chief Integrity Officer of the organization. Integrity is a mirror. What we tell the world what the organization is about, is that what is truly reflected back to us in our behavior and operations?

Having a board-level compliance committee is now a standard in most organizations. Based on the regulation framework, processes, and internal structure, the role of these entities differs.