The Grand Winners of the National Productivity and Quality Convention (NPQC) 2020-2021 were announced today during an award ceremony at the NPCC, marking a culmination of the third edition of this Convention.
The Grand Winners, who were selected among eight Gold winners in three distinct categories by a panel of international jurors were are as follows:
Small and Medium private enterprises including micro enterprises: Nabridas and Box Manufacturing Ltd
Large private enterprises: Archemics Ltd
Government departments, parastatals and registered associations: Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre Trust Fund
The theme for NPQC 2020-2021 is “Pursuing Productivity and Quality amidst Covid-19” and was organised online owing to the sanitary restrictions presently in force. A total of 51 local organisations, including 27 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), 11 large private enterprises and 13 Government departments, parastatals and registered associations presented their productivity and quality projects for assessment by local jurors from 8 to 11 June.
The eight Gold winners that emerged among the 51 entries, were assessed by a panel of international jurors on 29 June. The international jury was composed of Mr. D.K Srivastava, Executive Director of the Quality Circle Forum of India (QCFI), Mr. Kimiaki Jin, Senior Assistant Director, Ogata Sadako Peace and Development Research Institute, Japan and Mr. Getahun Tadesse Mekonen, Founder of the Ethiopian Kaizen Institute.
The participating organisations focused their projects essentially on business continuity, business reengineering, process improvement, new marketing strategies, new technology & digital transformation, innovation, eco-projects and lean management.
The Executive Director of the NPCC, Mr. Ashit Gungah, in his welcome address spoke about a precept on 5 P’s, namely Pandemic, Productivity, People, Process and Physical Environment.
“We need to continuously improve our processes to enhance productivity and customer satisfaction. The pandemic has triggered new ways of operationalising processes. Firms have become more opened to adopt new technology without consideration for the disruption to existing ways of working,” Mr. Gungah pointed out. He further highlighted that sustaining growth in such challenging times entails that we learn to live in the new normal. This implies that we have to cohabitate with the virus and put in place all control measures to protect people.
The Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, Hon Soomilduth Bholah, who delivered his keynote address virtually, explained that the government’s vision is to maintain the position of Mauritius as the best economy for investing in Africa and to thrive for a higher position on the international level.
“There is increased optimism over the global economic outlook. The World Bank has forecasted the global economy to grow by 5.6% in 2021, upgraded from its January 2021 projections of only 1.5%,” he added.
It is to be noted that NPQC the 2020/2021 considered projects implemented in 2019 and 2020. The Grand Winners will have the opportunity to participate virtually in the 46th International Convention on Quality Control Circles (ICQCC), that will be held in Hyderabad, India in September 2021.
It is worth noting that the NPCC has decided to rebrand the National Productivity and Quality Award which will subsequently be called the National Productivity and Quality Excellence Award.
A Productivity and Quality Excellence Framework will be developed with a view to help organisations navigate with the changes, transformation, and disruptions they face every day.
A National Productivity and Quality Excellence Convention will be organized every two years. Participating organisations will have the opportunity to understand gaps and possible solutions and help them grow and improve performance on their journey towards excellence.
