Booklets out to inform
AS part of the Industry Department's quality promotion programme, it is publishing a series of six booklets and printing a collection of quality posters.
The booklets are aimed at informing managers at all levels about Total Quality Management (TQM).
Each booklet examines a particular aspect of TQM, and contains two to four relevant examples from successful Hong Kong companies that have adopted it.
''They have been written by British experts, consultants who have come to Hong Kong for the local environment, so that the contents of the booklets will meet the requirements of Hong Kong people,'' said Richard Chan, head of the Industry Department's Quality Assurance Unit.
''I believe they will be most useful to Hong Kong companies.'' The first booklet explains the importance of top management's role in developing TQM, and the roles of middle and first-line managers in achieving results.
The second booklet discusses the importance to manufacturing companies of a systematic approach to TQM, ISO 9000 certification, quality management tools and the need for sound working relationships with suppliers and subcontractors.
The next two booklets deal with different aspects of quality; firstly costs and the setting up of a quality costing system, and, secondly, the creation of a company quality culture which reaches out to customers and suppliers.
The fifth booklet deals, specifically, with the special TQM problems faced by small businesses, including their training needs.
The last booklet focuses on International Standards, in particular those of Hong Kong's main markets in Europe, North America and Japan.
The booklets will be launched on Tuesday. Two are ready now, and the remaining four will be available soon.
While the booklets are intended to educate management, the posters will be sold at a nominal cost to industry for use in offices and on the shop floor.
The Quality and Reliability Centre of the Hong Kong Polytechnic's Department of Manufacturing Engineering is helping the Industry Department, but it was only given the task one month ago and it is finding selection of suitable posters difficult.
''We have 30 people in our advisory committee, consisting of members of the construction and manufacturing industries and a professional printing company,'' said department head Professor Lau Wai-shing.
''It is difficult to design a poster to suit 30 people. We came up with 20 ideas, but only a few are acceptable.'' The first poster contains an idea that is universal to all trades, but, in many cases, it has been hard to differentiate between quality and safety, and selection is being made on the quality of the design to ensure a few posters are available for the launch.
