Balaclava, 31 May 2019: The National Productivity and Competitiveness Council (NPCC) culminated the National Productivity and Quality Convention (NPQC 2019) with an Award Ceremony on Friday evening, rewarding the best projects that were presented in the Convention. The six Grand Winners of the Convention in three different categories were as follows:
Small & Medium private enterprises including micro enterprises: Neel Trading & Facilities Ltd (Efficiently Manage Process Area In Ewaste Department) and SS Business School Ltd (Increasing the employability rate of learners)
Large private enterprises: Phoenix Beverages Ltd (Operational Excellence in Beverages Production) and Natec Medical Ltd (Growing Natec’s Production Capacity, Productivity, Employee Engagement through Leadership Standard Work)
Government bodies/parastatals/registered associations: Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre (Reduction of inefficiency in the organization of science promotion activities at the RGSC) and Employees Welfare Fund (Interaction without Intervention)
The Award Ceremony saw the participation of more than 350 delegates from the different public and private organisations that presented their projects. A total of 106 projects related to productivity and quality improvement were entered in the Convention and were assessed by local jurors on 28 and 29 May at the Ravenala Hotel, Balaclava.
On Friday, a panel of four international jurors headed by Mr. Getahun Tadesse Mekonen, the former Director General of the Ethiopian Kaizen Institute, assessed the 11 best projects, out of which the six Grand Winners were selected.
“The NPQC is a wonderful opportunity for us to come together, exchange ideas and best practices so that we can all benefit and improve our respective organisations and ultimately our country. I see the NPQC as an exceptional opportunity to re-invent, reshape and upgrade our businesses with a view to better serve customers, shareholders and the community at large,”, Hon Dharmendar Sesungkur, Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance said in his keynote address.
The NPQC encourages organisations to share their best operational practices, processes, systems, and initiatives and learn from the experience of others. It provides an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of teams that have been responsible for creating and/or managing productivity and quality improvements at their workplace.
“NPQC 2019 has witnessed a growing enthusiasm among local organisations to showcase their productivity and quality projects. The assessment which were held earlier this week revealed some interesting observations. We could see a high level of dedication to the practice of continuous improvement at all levels. This is the very foundation of our Prime Minister’s vision to make Mauritius a high-income nation,” Mr. Deepak Balgobin said in his opening remarks.
On his part, the chairman of the NPCC, Mr. Sanjiv Mulloo, urged for more exchanges in terms of ideas and experiences among local organisations. “I would appeal to the Embassy of Japan to help us set up ICQCC in Africa, which will be a very big feat for us,” Mr. Mulloo said, adding that he would like to see more local organisations participating in NPQC.
It is worth mentioning that the Embassy of Japan in Mauritius was the honorary partner of the NPQC 2019. The ambassador, His Excellency, Mr. Yoshiharu Kato, stated that Japan would like to contribute to the sound development of industry and human resources development of Mauritius. “It is always a pleasure to see that the NPCC not only motivates but gives organisations the necessary tools to adopt a culture of productivity, quality and innovation,” he affirmed.
The Grand Winners will have the opportunity to participate in the 2019 International Convention on Quality Control Circles (ICQCC) to be held in Tokyo in September. The event will be organized by the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) under the theme “Creating a Brighter Future Through Total Quality Management and Quality Circle Activities”.
Bronze Award - SME
• Hampa Ltd – Reduce lack of stock by improving employee performance
• Everland Ltd
• Lavan Furniture Ltd
• Industry 4.0 Consultant
• The Secret Lounge
• MAAJ Enterprise
• Flacq Leading Hospitality and Tourism Ltd
Bronze awards - Large companies
• Rey & Lenferna Ltd
• A World of Labels
• Plastinax Austral Ltd
• Neel Construction & Industries Ltd
• Princes Tuna Mauritius Ltd – Productivity Improvement at Post process Area
• Avipro Co Ltd – Automatic Egg Nest to replace manual Egg Nest
• Froid Des Mascareignes Ltd – Reducing power consumption at Latanier refrigeration plant.
• Axess Limited
• Polytol Paints & Adhesives Manufacturers Co Ltd
• Kolos Cement Ltd
• OPP Contracting Ltd
Bronze Awards - Government, Parastatals & Registered Associations
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade
• Mauritius Institute of Health
• Mauritius Housing Company Ltd
• Mauritius Accreditation Service (MAURITAS)
• National Empowerment Foundation
• Human Resources Development Council
• Keats college
• Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection (Industry Division)- Assay Office
• University of Mauritius
Silver Awards - SME
• Exo Foodstuff Ltd
• TPS Printing
• Box & Design Co Ltd
• Saveurs Vegetales Ltee
• Chelvan Furniture Ltd
• Foods Worth Co Ltd
• Hampa Ltd
• SS Business School Ltd
Silver Awards – Large Companies
• Archemics Ltd
• Avipro Co Ltd- An automatic system to maintain ventilation during power failure in poultry farms
• Marine Biotechnology Products Ltd - Crude Oil Optimisation
• Marine Biotechnology Products Ltd – Reduction of free fatty acids in fishmeal
• IBL Seafood Ltd - Engagement & Empowerment of safety champions to promote a culture of safety
• Forges Tardieu Ltd
• AfrAsia Bank Ltd
• Princes Tuna Mauritius Ltd – Exploitation of Pre-Cooked Tuna Artery Bulb
• Ducray Lenoir Ltd
Silver Awards - Government, Parastatals & Registered Associations
• Association des hotels de Charme
• Entomology Division, Agricultural Services, Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security
• Food & Agricultural Research and Extension Institute
• The Groupement Social de Souillac
• Sir Leckraz Teelock State Secondary School
• Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre – Strategic Approach to enhance the promotion of technology at RGSC
• Coast Guard Training School
• Kolektif Rivier Nwar
• Grand-Bois Police Station
• University of Technology Mauritius
• Sebastopol State Secondary School
• Economic Development Board
• Mauritius Fire & Rescue Services – Set of Fire Investigation Unit
Gold Award – SME
• Neel Trading & Facilities Ltd
• SS Business School Ltd
• Royaume des Delices Ltd
Gold Award Large Companies
• Phoenix Beverages Limited
• Natec Medical Ltd
• Froid Des Mascareignes Ltd – Reducing downtime in the sorting area
Gold Awards - Government, Parastatals & Registered Associations
• Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre
• Employees Welfare Fund
• Mauritius Police Force – Research and Development Unit
• Dr. A.G. Jeetoo Hospital
• CEB (Green Energy) Co Ltd