By Steven Godfrey Mkweteza
The Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) has urged the domestic companies to embrace the management systems and standards so as to be competitive on the global markets and reposition the country’s economic status.
Director of standards development for Malawi Bureau of Standards, Fred Sikwese made the call on Tuesday in Blantyre during the presentation of the management systems and standards certification awards to four local companies.
Among others, Sikwese noted that the country would increase it’s export base and foreign exchange earnings if the local industries embrace the management systems and standards in their productions.
” Actually, the management systems and standards are very crucial for the local companies to apply in their varrious productions so as to be recognized worldwide as well as to increase their customer base and sales,” said Sikwese
According to Sikwese, varrious revelations have proved that companies that have embraced the management systems and standards worldwide have witnessed improved efficiency, consistence in quality, innovations and dialogues as well as reductions in waste and costs.
” Locally, these companies symbolises integrity and competence. And, we are anticipating an increase of stakeholders demand’s in the industry due to these role models,” said Sikwese
The director of standards said that before the bureau embarked on the management systems and standards voluntary scheme in the country, many local companies were struggling to fetch the international markets, hence, contributing to the high levels of imports and dwindling of foreign exchange earnings.
Sikwese said many local companies were failing to acquire the skills due to the high costs of training from outside the country due to the unavailability of local institutions to train them.
During the ceremony, Anchor industries Limited, Project Peanut Butter company, Lujeri Tea estate and Signal global logistics company were awarded with management systems certificates for food safety ISO 90001- 2018 and quality management systems ISO 22000- 2018.
Speaking on behalf of the companies, the factory manager for Lujeri Tea estate Lacksonia Dovu hailed the management systems and standards for transforming the company’s customer base and resource status.
Dovu testified that the company has fetched huge international markets as a result of the management systems and standards training.
” For several times, We had been denied huge international markets for our products because we could not produce proofs that our products were certicified with the management systems and standards. But now things are different,” he said
According to Dovu, for every Mk11 million sales that the company make, Mk6 milion sales now come from the international buyers.
Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) was established in 1972, with an aim of promoting quality assurance of the local products among others.
