MINSK, 15 June (BelTA) – The organization of quality excellence contests encourages all branches of the economy to make quality, ecological, safe, and resource-saving products and services. Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Yuri Nazarov made the statement during the ceremony held to award winners of the Belarusian government's 2021 Quality Excellence Awards, BelTA has learned.
Yuri Nazarov said: “The contest movement in the area of quality actively develops in our republic and encourages all branches of the economy to make quality, ecological, safe, and resource-saving products and services. Since 1999 over 250 organizations from various branches of the economy have become laureates of the government's award. This year the commission in charge of presenting the awards has decided to award 29 organizations in recognition of their accomplishments last year. Of them 15 organizations will be awarded for the first time while 14 ones are repeat winners.”
In his words, today's laureates represent a slice of the entire economy and include the manufacturing sector, transport and communications, power engineering, civil engineering, education, and so on. “Notably they are not only state-run enterprises but private companies, too,” he remarked.
Products of most of the laureates of the Belarus government's quality excellence awards are recognized not only in the home country but abroad. “Roughly 70-80% of products of some of our enterprises are exported. Those are BelAZ, Energocomplekt, Brestgazoapparat, Torgmash, Pruzhany Dairy Plant, and other ones,” the deputy prime minister added.
It is impossible to create high-tech products that can compete on the global market without new technologies, modern high-performance energy-saving equipment, without modern methods of administration, and without raising investments. “Such enterprises as Minsk Motor Plant, Molochny Gostinets, Zhabinka Feed Mill have increased investments in production growth by several times,” Yuri Nazarov pointed out.
Food industry enterprises make a tangible contribution to the development of the national economy. “Our winners – producers of dairy products – have managed to penetrate the most competitive and attractive markets for food products thanks to flexibility and timely responses to changes of internal and external conditions,” he stressed.
The official remarked that the rising quality of Belarusian products not only facilitates export increase but allows replacing imports with Belarusian substitutes of equal value. “Today import substitution is of huge importance in conditions of existing restrictive measures. The creation of our own manufacturing capacities allows reducing dependence on imports and even ruling out some of them,” the deputy prime minister said.
Today's winners put persistent efforts into creating import-substituting products, too. Mechanical engineering companies take an active part in it, particularly manufacturers of agricultural machines – Gomselmash and Bobruiskagromash. As much as 70% of the cables and conductors made by the Vitebsk-based enterprise Energocomplekt are import substitutes. The company Vitebsk carpets has launched a new facility to make polypropylene fiber for making carpets.
“The current situation forces us to become increasingly independent and self-dependent in the global economy of foreign corporations. I can mention the contribution of the national telecommunication company Beltelecom and Belarus' largest civil engineering company OAO MAPID,” Yuri Nazarov emphasized.
Education institutions, which won the government's awards, demonstrate confident growth across the board. “Meeting needs of the time, they promptly introduce practice-oriented and networking-based forms of education and digital technologies. They create R&D centers and labs, develop the export of educational services, improve their standings and international recognition. Today success hinges on initiative, self-dependence and accountability for results,” he stated.
The deputy prime minister thanked winners for their hard work and persistence, for inexhaustible energy and will, creative pursuit, faith in their work, and for the results they had achieved. He wished them further success, new high achievements in the development of their enterprises, the enhancement of their effectiveness, and the ensuring of quality of products and services. “Because quality of manufactured products shapes the economic might of the country and respectively living standards of every one of us as well as confidence in tomorrow,” Yuri Nazarov concluded.
It was the 23rd Quality Excellence contest on record. Fifteen organizations became laureates for the first time while 14 reaffirmed the laureate title once again. Three organizations received special awards: Leadership, Management Perfection, and Social Responsibility. The winners represent mechanical engineering industry, transportation, power engineering industry, civil engineering industry, food industry, and other industries as well as the sphere of services.
By winning the Belarusian government's Quality Excellence Awards, an organization becomes recognized as a reliable producer of high-quality and competitive products. The title opens up new business opportunities and helps expand target markets. Laureates can use the award logo for three years as part of product packaging, documentation, and advertising materials. Information about winners is submitted to the Качество.бел website and the website of the State Standardization Committee of Belarus. Information is included into the annual catalogue, which is sent to Belarus' representations abroad.
Lapel badges Quality Leader were also presented on 15 June. Winners of the contests “The best quality assurance manager” and “The best diploma work and the best research work of students in the area of management and quality control” were awarded.
