FG ASSURES LOCAL MANUFACTURERS OF SUPPORT
The Director General of Standards Organisation Nigeria (SON), Mr Joseph Odumodu, has said that the Federal Government is aware of the challenges being faced by the manufacturing sector and doing its best to see that the problems are solved.
Odumondu disclosed this at the 'Walk for Standard', held in Lagos, noting that to tackle the challenges facing the real sector, there was a need to substantially upgrade skills and achieve higher levels of technological sophistication and implement policy steps to rank Nigeria as one of the most destination for foreign.
He pointed out that the surest way of maintaining relevance, remaining competitive and gaining more market share in the global market is through provision of quality products and services.
He explained that emphasis from conformity to rules and regulations to actual performance output aims at the development and customer focus with emphasis on reduction of waste in the supply chain.
He observed that the system having been certified would be placed on six monthly surveillance audits to ensure continuing suitability and effectiveness of the implementation of the quality system.
He said that the local manufacturing sector plays a very crucial role in the transformation of the nation's economy, adding that government is doing every thing possible to support the manufacturing sector by paying more attention to the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises.
He assured Nigerians that it is ever ready to ensure that quality goods are sold and consumed in Nigeria, even as over 30 local manufacturers walked for standards
'Our aims of bring the manufacturers out to the streets of Lagos to walk for standard was to discourage fake and counterfeit goods in the country. We appealed to the manufacturers, to always cooperate with us to eradicate the menace, or else the law will catch up with them,' he said.
He noted that the walk for standards was to create awareness for zero tolerance campaign on substandard products in the country.
He said that the Zero Tolerance campaign was introduced to give every necessary support to local manufacturers who have demonstrated resolve to play the paths of honour in ensuring conformity with SON's manufacturing standard in Nigeria.
He stated that government would no longer tolerate a situation where some unscrupulous manufacturers produce substandard and low quality goods in the country.
He observed that the relevance of producing good products and continual improvement in the current competitive market environment, which focuses on customer satisfaction cannot be overemphasized, being extremely important in expanding organisation's local and export trade capabilities, raising the competitiveness of its services and goods in the market and thereby improving organization's image.
In today's business environment, he said the challenges of globalization are the driving forces for doing business and maintaining relevance at both national and international markets.
He stated that considering the ever-changing customer requirements and the role of competitiveness in the global market, only organisations that have what it takes to remain afloat in the precarious market could survive.
He pointed out that the quality concept has gone beyond the physical, chemical, mechanical properties of product to include the management of the interaction between processes.
'An organization without an enduring and reliable system cannot survive for long especially, when considering the challenges posed by continual competition in the market in the market in the market place,' he added.