Quick summary: Product recalls are surging, with manufacturers facing 8+ recall events daily. While your odds of a recall remain low, the question is: could you respond in 24-72 hours? This post walks through the critical steps – finding documents, aligning teams, and communicating with stakeholders – and shows how document management systems like M-Files help manufacturers respond faster and more confidently.
Imagine receiving a recall notification at 9 AM on a Tuesday. By noon, you need to identify every affected product, halt shipments, and notify customers. Can your team find the critical documents fast enough?
This isn’t a far-fetched scenario. Recalls are on the rise in the U.S. In 2022, the product recall experts at Sedgewick reported a “record-breaking” year featuring more than 1 billion product recalls. In 2023 and 2024, U.S. manufacturers faced, on average, more than 8 recall events per day. Though their 2025 year-end report isn’t yet published at the time of this writing, Sedgewick expects that 2025 will “push… beyond last year’s totals.”
Here’s the good news: as a small to mid-sized manufacturer, you’re unlikely to face a recall this year. But here’s the better question: If you did, how quickly could you respond?
Let’s walk through the steps below.
Short on time right now? See for yourself how you can use M-Files to respond in record time.
Save your seat at the webinar on February 18 at 1:00 PM CT.
1. Find Critical Data Quickly
According to research, the average worker spends 18 minutes searching for a single document. To respond to a recall, you’d need to locate:
- Records identifying the scope (affected SKUs, lot numbers, manufacturing dates, customer lists)
- In-transit records to prevent affected items from reaching shelves
- Open orders in production for immediate halts
- Inventory records across all warehouses and 3PLs
And that’s only the beginning.
At 18 minutes per document, your team would struggle to respond within the required 24-72 hour window.
2. Draft and Align on Your Recall Strategy
In this scenario, your internal recall team will have to collaborate quickly on different strategy documents, which means email will likely be too slow and disjointed to keep everyone on the same page.
- You’ll need a way to ensure that every member of your recall team works with the latest version of your documents.
- You’ll also need a structured process and workflows to make sure your team doesn’t delay the process by missing critical steps.
Delays here don’t just slow your response – they can result in regulatory penalties or expanded recalls if the wrong version of a document goes out.
3. Communicate with the Public
Amidst all this chaos, you must draft crystal-clear communications for your key accounts (distributors, retailers, key customers) with instructions on stopping sales, isolating products, and responding to your directives.
You also need to prepare or review public-facing documents, including press releases, website notices, FAQs, and talking points – all while maintaining professionalism and brand confidence.
The reality? You don’t have time to waste.
All of these processes typically must be completed within 24-72 hours – and your work continues for months after.
And at every stage, your team must be able to access the right documents at the right time.
Can your company do that?
There’s a Better Way
If you hesitated at that last question, you’re not alone. Most manufacturers struggle with document management – until they don’t have to anymore.
See how M-Files solves this. Attend our live webinar on February 18 at 1:00 PM Central Time.
You’ll discover how to:
- Find critical documents 40% faster with context-aware metadata mapping
- Keep CAPA plans and SOPs on track with automated workflows and real-time collaboration – no more version confusion or missed approval deadlines
- Access all relevant data in a single Workspace by bringing together your cloud, on-premises, ERP, and CRM data in one view
This was an extreme example, but the principle applies every day: when your team can’t find what they need, it costs you time, money, and trust.
Register for the February 18 webinar and see how better document management protects your business when it matters most.