Leading businesses win National Quality Awards

Vietnamese firms were presented with National Quality Awards in a ceremony in Ha Noi yesterday in conjunction with Golden Dragon and Strong Brand awards to honour outstanding achievements. - VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam

HA NOI (VNS)- Sixty-seven Vietnamese firms received 2012 National Quality Awards at a ceremony in Ha Noi yesterday.

The event was attended by Vice-President Nguyen Thi Doan and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan.

Three won the Asia-Pacific Quality Organisation's Global Performance Excellence Award. They were Ba Ria–Vung Tau Urban Development and Drainage Ltd Co, Tien Phong Plastic Joint-stock Co and Nghe An Agricultural Materials Co. Seventeen of them took home golden awards and 50 were given silvers.

The awards honour enterprises with outstanding achievements and are based on a US model, the Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence Award, which is recognised internationally.

Businesses are assessed on leadership, strategy planning, customer and market orientation, and human resources management and development.

Nhan said the awards recognised the efforts of Vietnamese firms to improve their products' quality despite the difficult economic times both locally and internationally.

"Those honoured this year will help raise the prestige of Vietnamese products," Nhan said.

He added that economic difficulties have posed new challenges for the organisers of the awards, given the dwindling number of businesses that have entered, and won, the competition since 2005. The organisers need to promote it more and suggest to the Government measures to both increase awareness of the award and lure more participants.

The award has been organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology for the fourth time this year.

Tran Trong Phuc, CEO of one of the winners, Tien Phong Plastic Joint-stock Co, attributed the success of his company to breakthrough measures in renewing technology to turn out high-quality and competitive products.

He said that, taking the advantage of the economic slowdown, the company has bought technologies from European partners, some of whom have been forced to resell at lower prices.

Diversification in seeking credit organisations to increase capital is another measure, according to Phuc.

The company's products are now available in construction, water supply, agriculture and transport. - VNS