20 January 2000

AIM TO BE WORLD BEATERS – MINISTER’S MESSAGE AT QUALITY AWARDS

"Long term profitability in fiercely competitive markets requires world class standards of quality, productivity, innovation and customer service," Sir Reg Empey, MLA, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, said last night.

Sir Reg was speaking to more than 400 local business people at the BT Millennium Quality Awards organised by the Northern Ireland Quality Centre and held in the Waterfront Hall, Belfast.

Said Sir Reg: "Recent setbacks in a sector such as textiles and clothing have reinforced the need for a sharp and ongoing focus on measures to strengthen competitiveness in domestic and international markets.

"Globalisation and technology are combining to make the business environment more challenging than ever before. But I am confident that our companies can - indeed many are already - surmounting the challenges of competition profitably and are becoming world beaters.

"Companies like Nortel Networks, Ulster Carpet Mills, BT Northern Ireland, Nacco Materials Handling, Bombardier-Shorts, SAM Mouldings and tonight's winners are becoming role models in the pursuit of excellence. Their achievements have been recognised not just in the Northern Ireland Quality Awards, but also in the UK Business Excellence Awards.

"We need many more companies to recognise that success comes through striving to be the best in every aspect of business today. They can achieve this by benchmarking their performance against established leaders in their respective industries.

"I am particularly impressed by the continuing high level of interest from small to medium sized companies in IDB’s Business Excellence Programme. It was also encouraging that SCA Packaging of Warrenpoint was among an elite group of companies invited to make a presentation to the recent European Benchmarking Conference in Helsinki.

"Companies are recognising more and more that excellence is not an act but a journey. Customers will not, nor should we expect them to, settle for anything less," added Sir Reg.

The Northern Ireland Quality Centre, Sir Reg said, was playing a vitally important role with IDB and LEDU in initiatives to help companies become more competitive. The planned Irish Winners Conference in April would also encourage companies to "embrace change and produce tangible business benefits."

"Our aim must be to accelerate the transformation currently underway towards the knowledge-led economy highlighted in Strategy 2010. This will be achieved by companies in all sectors using ‘knowledge’ in its widest sense and includes implementing business excellence to become smarter, more flexible, versatile and responsive in fast moving world markets.

"Tonight's awards also recognise that excellence must be the only standard - in the public sector as well as across private industry to the tourism and hospitality sector.

"We must strive to create a new Northern Ireland that will be acknowledged by people here and overseas as an excellent community in which to live, work and invest, as well as to visit and do business with," he added.