15 local businesses cop top prizes for adherence to quality standards

Though 36 local Guyanese companies participated in this year’s edition of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) National Quality Awards (NQA), only 15 emerged as winners and received awards for demonstrating their commitment to quality on Tuesday.

Those 15 local businesses entered the categories of services, manufacturing, small business manufacturing, small business services, and agro-processing with specific awards also distributed for customer-focus, continuous improvement, and health & safety and Environmental Initiatives.

Using a pre-established criteria, the NQA winners were chosen based on the results of assessment audits conducted at each entity to determine its level of conformance to the Seven Quality Principles established by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO); and Occupational Safety & Health and Environmental requirements.

Top awardees

At the award ceremony on Tuesday evening held at Parc Rayne on the East Bank of Demerara, Massy Gas Products (Guyana) Ltd. received the top award for exemplary service while NAMILCO took home the top award for manufacturing.

For the small business manufacturing category, Steve’s Jewellery won the top prize while the St. Joseph Hospital Medical Laboratory won the overall prize in the small business services category. Morning Glory Inc. copped the top prize for agro-processing.

‘Upkeep your standards’

GNBS’s Director (ag) Ramrattie Karan in her remarks highlighted that the NQA aims to promote the competitiveness of Guyanese products and services and enables businesses to strive for excellence in their operations towards providing better end products to consumers.

And though many businesses did not walk away with awards, the GNBS Director pointed out that their mere participation is a testimony of a pledge to implement the requirement of standards and maintaining quality in various aspects of their business.

“To those who will be walking out of here with an award tonight, this is not the end of the road; let that serve as a constant reminder to improve your products and services to better meet your customers’ needs.”

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar who delivered the main address on behalf of President Irfaan Ali implored n local businesses to maintain their high standard trajectory.

“You have to ensure that when expatriates come here, that the services and standards offered is on par with the international standards.”

The minister pointed to the petroleum sector and noted that for almost every service, there needs to be certification and strict adherence to quality standards. Referencing this, Minister Indar urged stakeholders to always consider that standards should be a part of the “culture” of a business.

Meanwhile, the NQA also featured the launch of a ‘Made in Guyana’ Certification Mark which was unveiled by First Lady Mrs. Arya Ali.

The Certification Mark will be used by the GNBS to certify authentic Guyanese products based on the quantity of local raw materials used in their production, and the number of Guyanese staff employed by their establishment, among others.

The National Quality Awards forms parts of activities for National Quality Week 2021 (October 10th – 15th) to engage and educate stakeholders on the importance of quality and standards.

The week’s celebrations surround World Standards Day, which is commemorated annually on October 14. The theme chosen for the 2021 observances by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), International Electro-technical Commission (IEC), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is “Standards for SDGs – our vision for a better world”.

See full list of NQA winners: