As Hong Kong's business sector mainly comprises small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), more effort is being made to enhance the competitiveness of the sector. The Hong Kong Management Association established a 'Special Award for SMEs' category in 2005 to encourage the pursuit of total quality management. Uchiya Hong Kong, a subsidiary of the Japan-based Uchiya Thermostat, won this year's SME Award in the HKMA Quality Award. Established in 1986, Uchiya Hong Kong mainly manufactures thermostats, thermal protectors and thermistor sensors for electric appliances and the automotive industry, while the headquarters is responsible for research, development, manufacturing and marketing of all products. 'We are very happy to see our hard work has paid off,' says Cherie Mak Chui-wan, quality control manager at Uchiya Hong Kong. 'The award serves as encouragement and recognition for all of us. It helps us promote our brand name to customers in various industries and strengthens the confidence of our existing customers in our products.' The HKMA expanded the eligibility criteria for the award this year to any industry and business that employ 200 people or less in Hong Kong, and are not subsidiaries of another corporation with headquarters in Hong Kong. 'I think we were able to stand out because of our excellent internal co-operation,' Mak says. 'With a low turnover rate, we work as a family and everyone knows each other and the company very well, so everything is handled in an orderly manner.' The company sets clear guidelines for employees that standardise the manufacturing process, which in turn ensures the company's products are of a high quality. 'We hope to promote our main principle, that is to provide safety to society with our products and services, and demonstrate how we achieve this principle to all companies and industries through this competition,' Mak says. Among the main aims of the award is to enhance communication and training in the company, and Mak says participating in the competition is the best and most practical training they can give to inexperienced staff. The firm had set up a team with two representatives from each department, which included a veteran and a less experienced staffer, responsible for preparing the necessary information and documents, including a written submission in question and answer format for the competition's initial screening process. 'We did not make any specific preparations for the competition,' Mak says. 'We have a continuous drive to improve the company, and we always try to enhance our internal operations and management in order to bring the company and our products to the next level.'
