National Productivity Organisation (NPO) is launching 'National Quality Awards' from next month which will be awarded to productive and efficient industries, said NPO Chief, Saquib Mohyuddin while talking to journalists.
He said that criteria for giving these awards had been decided while experts from Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) would be helping the NPO to select those industries which were efficient and getting maximum productivity in their field.
"We have also planned to give separate awards to the multinationals, big and small industries from Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs). Prime Minister of Pakistan might decorate the selected industries with these awards on August 14, 2006" Saquib added.
NPO Chief was of the view that institution of this award would help NPO in getting its objective of helping the small companies of Pakistan to be efficient and turn in to medium size companies, medium in to big and big in to multinationals.
Highlighting various new initiatives being taken by the NPO to create awareness amongst the industrial sector of Pakistan to be efficient, cost effective as well as getting maximum productivity, NPO Chief said that they were launching an 'Energy Efficiency' programme from January next. This programme was aimed at helping the SME sector to be energy efficient and by saving energy reducing its input cost. This programme would be launched in collaboration with a German company, GTZ.
NPO will be observing first quarter of 2006 as 'productivity quarter' in which various programmes would be arranged such as 'Productivity Walks' in Lahore and Karachi to make industrial sector realise the importance of efficiency and productivity.
Saquib stated that they were also doing bench marking in various industrial sectors which would help pin point the 'best practices' with the help of which these industrial sectors could bring down their cost, enhance efficiency of their machines as well as manpower thus getting maximum production. He said that presently they were working to make these benchmarks in spinning, light engineering and garment sectors. He averred that they would also be establishing Industrial Productivity Centres in different cities where 'Best Practice Officers' would also be appointed to help industry of that specific area to be efficient and productive.