Speaking at the FOI Quality Management Conference held on Thursday, Martin Galea, President of the Federation said that Quality Management is much more than delivering a good quality product or service, it is also about the way businesses are managed.

Mr Galea emphasized that this applies to the largest manufacturer, down to the micro enterprise, and involves each and every employee along the chain, as well as suppliers and clients. He added that improvement is an ongoing process, and this is why Quality is an imperative.

This well attended conference aimed to present a number of thought provoking ideas through the different thematic presentations on a horizontal level to explain the advantages of Quality. In today’s volatile and highly competitive business world we must act fast on deciding the Quality of Management philosophy which we must embrace rather than the Management of Quality that we work so hard to maintain.

Dr. Eric Janssens, Director General of the European Organisation for Quality (EOQ) gave the keynote speech, entitled Quality is Back: No Quality – No Business – Continuous Learning is the key. During his presentation Dr. Janssens discussed the mission of the EOQ in promoting Quality, as well as the importance of the people involved in the process, besides the actual products and systems themselves.

Dr. Janssens was followed by Sergio Vella, Managing Director of Actavis Ltd. Mr. Vella addressed the topic of Innovation and R&D, emphasizing its importance in order to achieve technological advantage over the competition. However, innovation or R&D in an enterprise does not happen in isolation, it requires a systemic approach to ensure that all the determinants, from ideas to market, are meticulously adhered to in line with customer and regulatory demands.

John de Giorgio, Managing Director of Shireburn Software Ltd discussed the topic of ICT being an underutilized tool, in spite of it being a well-known commodity. Mr de Giorgio’s presentation covered the importance of ICT, how it can be used to store valuable information which in turn can be used for businesses to monitor its key performance indicators, monitor trends, compare results with previous periods, benchmark with competitors, measure customer satisfaction and supplier quality, and to improve processes, in order to increase competitiveness.

Mr de Giorgio was followed by Claudio Grech, CEO of SmartCity Malta, who discussed quality expectations in terms of infrastructure and services. Mr Grech addressed the importance of strategically locating a business in a vibrant hub, of high-quality specifications, having top-notch supporting infrastructures and ancillary services as a pre-determinant for business growth.

Ing. Helga Pizzuto, President of the Chamber of Engineers addressed the issue of businesses adopting the appropriate technologies in order to lead to a better quality environment, as well as enabling businesses to become more efficient and therefore more competitive in their product and service offerings.

Mario P. Galea, Country Managing Partner of Ernst & Young discussed business results beyond financial management, pointing out that structured financial management can enhance business results and enable an enterprise to improve its position to address challenges and thus better compete in the market place.

The final speech was given by Dr. John C. Grech, Chairman of EMCS Group. Dr Grech discussed what a Quality Culture means today, the importance of corporate responsibility involving all stakeholders, and sustainability.

The thematic discussions in the workshops, held in the afternoon session presented even further ideas on the themes presented during the morning sessions. The workshops also delved into the FOI Quality Management Committee’s overall objectives, and what can be done by the FOI through awareness, education, and services, in order to promote Quality.