Valley: More systematic approach to business needed

Trade and Industry Minister, Kenneth Valley, yesterday stressed the need for the development of a mechanism that would activate increased quality and environmental management systems (QEMS) among local  businesses. He expressed his belief that many businesses were not cognisant of the benefits to be derived from efficient QEMS, especially in the face of increased globalisation. Valley was addressing a seminar on QEMS for small and medium-sized enterprises at the head office of the TT Bureau of Standards (TTBS) in Macoya. The seminar was organised by the TTBS, in conjunction with the Business Development Company. Small and medium sized organisations, Valley continued, make up a substantial part of the business sector in TT, employing a large percentage of human capital.

However, he said, most of these businesses already have an established way of conducting their business transactions or of performing other tasks. While these systems may be efficient and effective, many times they are simply informal, which results in inconsistencies in meeting customer requirements. Consequently, this could result in the company being unable to take full advantage of opportunities for improvement. “A quality and environmental management system,” Valley noted, identifies those features which can help a business consistently meet its customers needs and provide a framework for managing the impacts on business of the organisation of the environment.”

He also stated that it was a means for the respective organisations to adopt a more systematic approach to business by ensuring that there was a proper evaluation of the organisational structure, procedures, processes and resources needed to achieve the company’s goals. Some of the benefits to be derived from these systems, Valley maintained, were increased employee motivation and pride, improved efficiency, the reduction of costly mistakes and the increase of the customer base by consistently meeting requirements. TTBS executive director, Lawford Dupres, asserted that the implementation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) scheduled for 2005, would intensify the need for proper systems to deal with quality and environmental management.