A spokesman for Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB), the first bus company in Hong Kong to seek ISO 9002 accreditation, has given the quality assurance system an unqualified thumbs up.
'Generally, both management and workers are happier because things are simpler, more straightforward and easier to do,' said Leung Kin-wang, KMB's deputy service manager.
'They know what's expected of them because procedures are set down quite specifically.' According to Mr Leung, who has been with the company for 17 years, getting certification was not easy. The documentation required was relatively simple. The hard part was convincing staff to change their working habits.
'You have to train your workers to change the way they do things - and any change is difficult. During implementation, there was some additional paperwork for management but this didn't affect the workers,' he said.
Mr Leung said the only additional staff needed were a few temporary clerks for typing. As the system's many advantages became apparent, management and staff alike became sold on it and went along willingly.
The service department at KMB's Kowloon Bay depot was awarded ISO 9002 certification, a quality assurance system for production, installation and servicing, in 1995, after nine months of preparation. Depots in Lai Chi Kok, Sha Tin and Tuen Mun followed in 1996.
