MSMEs urged to focus on quality standards

The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country should focus on quality standards and on the zero-defect, zero-effect (ZED) model to be able to compete in the internal as well as international markets.

That was the refrain of several speakers at a one-day workshop here on Friday organised by the Quality Council of India, and facilitated by the World Association for Small and Medium Enterprises (WASME).

Anil Jauhiri, the CEO of the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (a board of the QCI), said quality standards played an important role in increasing the competitiveness of the Indian industry and boosting exports. "It is now necessary for the smaller units to go in for certification and adoption of standards to make the Make-in-India campaign a success," he said.

P.L Haranadh, the Deputy Chairman of the Visakhapatnam port trust, said investment in quality would yield rich dividends, but the MSMEs should be provided financial support and other kinds of support to adopt zero-defect, zero-effect model. "The goods and services should be defect-free, and there should be zero effect on environment. Environmental standards are the most crucial," he said.

R.N Bhattacharya, the General Manager in the Visakhapatnam steel plant, said that in the past customer satisfaction was sufficient, but "now the motto is customer delight, and therefore more stringent standards are needed now to survive in the market."

Sampa Banerjee, the Executive Director of WASME, D. Madhusudan Rao, the MD of Team Industrial Consultancy Service Pvt. Limited, and Rajesh Maheswari, the joint director of NABCB, spoke.

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