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Supply Chain Management

Rob Handfield Weighs In on Challenges of U.S. Vape Import Ban

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Chinese disposable e-cigarettes from Elf Bar remain widely available in the U.S. more than four months after U.S. health regulators moved to ban their importation.

Rob Handfield, Bank of America Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management at Poole College, says U.S. customs officials face significant challenges in intercepting banned products among the tens of thousands of shipments arriving daily at U.S. ports.

“These items may come in under other deceptive practices. They are mislabeled or bundled together with other items in a container,” Handfield says. “Customs and Border Patrol aren’t going to go and inspect the contents of every shipping container.”

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