NSI rewards quality to Namibian businesses

Staff reporter - The Namibian Standards Institution (NSI) held its fifth National Quality Awards ceremony event last week, rewarding local businesses in five categories.

The awards aim to recognise and appreciate industries, enterprises, including the service sector, and individuals who perform excellently on quality. It also honours those who contribute to quality advancement in all sectors of the Namibian economy, by having measurements and quality systems, procedures and processes that are in line with local, regional and international practices. In addition the programme recognises individuals who use quality advancement to support national economic development and growth.

The NSI’s chief executive officer, Chie Wasserfall, said the government and other stakeholders in the public and private sectors have a role to play in ensuring quality goods and products and for protecting the health and safety of all Namibians. “It is only through active participation in quality initiatives such as this as well as standardisation activities that Namibia will be able to achieve its dream of a prosperous, vibrant, industrialized and knowledge-based economy,” Wasserfall said.

The minister of industrialisation, trade and SME development - in his key note address read on his behalf by the acting permanent secretary Benjamin Katjipuka - stated that the economic environment is being reshaped by industry and technological trends, which are changing business models and fundamentally changing jobs.

“The future growth and competitiveness shall be secured by efficiency, productivity, innovation and the skills of our workforce where applying standards and quality assurance will be of great importance,” he said.

The following enterprises were awarded as follows:

Category 1: Company of the year 2017

This award is presented to companies, both large and small/medium which best reflect full commitment to applicable local and international high quality production practices and standards.

Small enterprises: MPP Civils Namibia (first); Namibia Media Monitoring or NaMedia (runner-up).

Large enterprises: Etosha Fishing Corporation Pty Ltd at Walvis Bay (first); Namibia Institute of Pathology in Windhoek (runner-up).

Category 2: Product of the year 2017

This award is presented to a company that produces products that best reflects a commitment to quality.

Small enterprises: MPP Civils Namibia in Windhoek (first); Green Jobs (Pty) Ltd in Windhoek (runner-up).

Large enterprises: Etosha Fishing Corporation Pty Ltd (first); Ohorongo Cement at Otavi (runner-up).

Category 3: Service of the year 2017

This award is presented to a locally-delivered service that best reflects a commitment to local production practices and quality.

Small and medium enterprises: MPP Civils (first); Omamanya Laboratory Services (runner-up).

Large enterprises: Ohorongo Cement (first); Coca Cola Beverage Bottling Company in Windhoek (runner-up).

Category 4: Exporter of the year 2017

This award is presented to a company or organization that has made significant progress in commencing or expanding exports to new or wider markets by introducing quality in their company.

Large enterprises: Etosha Fishing Corporation Pty Ltd (first)

Category 5: Individual Quality Award 2017

This award is given to an individual that has made significant input into Namibian standards, quality assurance, accreditation and metrology efforts. This is an individual who has contributed immensely towards quality enhancement efforts of his or her company and subsequently of the country at large.

Edition winners 2017

First: Lineekela Kapundja (Quality assurance manager: Etosha Fishing Corporation);

Second: Merylinda Conradie (Quality assurance manager at Namwater)

The winners selected automatically qualify to participate in the lucrative SADC Regional Quality Awards scheduled to take place early next year.