Growth & Jobs | BSJ awards contribute to competitiveness, jobs growth

MINISTER OF Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator Aubyn Hill, says the Bureau of Standards Jamaica’s (BSJ) National Quality Awards (NQA) programme plays a key role in promoting the competitiveness of Jamaican produce, products and services locally and abroad.

This, he said, “is critical to our country as we sharpen and focus our efforts on the vital target to produce better and achieve sustained economic growth, especially by exporting a lot more than we do now”.

He noted that it also contributes to creating more and better-quality jobs for Jamaicans.

Hill was addressing the 13th NQA ceremony and banquet, held recently at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

Ten outstanding entities were recognised by the BSJ for business excellence based on the adherence to quality standards and systems. These include companies from the manufacturing, services and agricultural industries, along with micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

The commerce minister hailed the award recipients for “putting yourselves forward as competitors and equipping your operations with systems and processes that make you eligible to participate”.

“The accolades that you will receive tonight put you all into an elite group of industry players whose focus on high standards and consistent quality systems continues to yield vital earnings for your businesses and our country,” he noted.

Hill encouraged the awardees to focus on producing more goods and services for export. He called for increased investment within the global services sector “to expand the opportunities to earn hard currency, by workers staying right here in Jamaica and exporting our services via the Internet”.

Senator Hill further commended the management and staff of the BSJ for their diligence in nurturing the quality awards programme to its 13th year.

“This recognition has served to challenge our manufacturers, service providers and later, our farmers, to hold themselves and their productive efforts to a higher standard, and to be publicly accountable,” he noted.

Sectional awards were presented to the top companies in five categories: organisational focus (involvement in community activities), human resource focus, process management, customer focus, and business results.

In the category of organisational focus, Red Stripe was the winner for manufacturing; HEART College of Hospitality Services (HCHS) Cardiff Hotel and Spa for services; and for the first time this year, the agricultural sector was recognised in this category, with Hydro Gardens of Jamaica taking home the award.

For the human resource focus, Dairy Industries Jamaica Limited was the winner for manufacturing, and Nestle Jamaica Limited for the services sector.

Honey Bun Limited and AMG Packaging and Paper Company Limited were the winners in the category of customer focus in the manufacturing industry.

The award for outstanding customer focus in the services sector was presented to Hi-Lo Food Stores (Cross Roads branch); Grace Food Processors (Meat Division) was the winner of the sectional award for process management in the manufacturing sector; and Hi-Lo Food Stores (Liguanea) received the award for process management in the service sector.

In the category of business results, AMG Packaging and Paper Company Limited copped the award in the manufacturing sector, while the award for business results in the services sector went to HCHS Cardiff Hotel and Spa.

The NQA Awards for Excellence were also presented to the overall winners in the manufacturing, services and MSME business sectors.

Dairy Industries Jamaica Limited was the winner for the manufacturing sector; HCHS Cardiff Hotel and Spa for the services sector; and Hillview Memorial Gardens in the MSME sector.

JIS