UN ESCAP offers intensive high quality management training
for electronics industry

BANGKOK (United Nations Information Services) - One of the main constraints to the development of the business sector in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) is the unavailability of adequately trained people working as managers, financial experts, technical experts, marketing experts, etc.

For this reason, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Greater Mekong Subregion Academic and Research Network (GSMARN) will co-organize the Workshop on Quality Function Deployment from 5-13 March 2002 in Bangkok.

The main purpose of the Workshop is to improve the quality of management knowledge and the skills of small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs (SMEs), and assist them to participate more effectively in the global economy. The Workshop is a human resources development project under the framework of the "GMS Business Forum," an initiative of the national chambers of commerce and industry of the six countries comprising the Greater Mekong Subregion.

The Workshop will be offered to SME managers and academics from engineering universities in the Subregion. An international consortium of management experts will conduct the Workshop. Specifically, the electronics industry will be targeted for this workshop because of the rapid development and significant presence of the industry in this subregion.

Quality management plays a vital role in efforts to boost productivity. It is also directly related to organizational costs, and indirectly link to customers and markets. In recent years, however, customer requirements have had a major impact on product or service design and development. The so called Quality Function Deployment (QFD) technique, which was originally initiated by Prof. Youji Akao of Japan in the 1960s, is aimed at systematically translating customer requirements into functional and quality characteristics, and, in turn, the necessary technology to produce high quality products or services.

Another aim of the Worksop is to train participants from the electronics industry in the GMS countries in the fundamental concepts and importance of quality, quality management and step-by- step details of the techniques.

To achieve sustainable development, SMEs must be able to develop and design their own products and services, taking into account their customers' customs, cultures, values, traditions, and life styles. QFD is, thus, a simple and systematic tool for them to learn and apply these skills in practice. Through case studies and workshops courses, the participants will be able to apply instantly the techniques within their own organizations. The number of the participants will be approximately 60.

For more information, please contact Mr. Nibhon Debavalya, Director, International Trade and Industry Division, UN ESCAP, Bangkok, Thailand (Tel: (66-2) 288 1956, Fax: 66-2 288 1026 or 1027, or E-mail: trade_inf.unescap@un.org).

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