JEDDAH, 23 June 2004 — Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed has announced a new award for quality performance by government departments in the region.
The Makkah Al-Mukarramah Quality Award would recognize excellent performance by government departments in the Makkah Region, the prince said at a seminar yesterday.
He said the seminar, on GCC-wide quality performance in the public sector, was an opportunity to benchmark best practices in the Gulf. “It is an opportunity for all government departments to learn from their experiences and follow their excellent model,” he said.
He urged all government departments and the private sector in the Makkah Region to make the most of the gathering. “Learn and implement the latest quality practices and concepts,” he said.
The two-day seminar has been organized by the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) in association with the Saudi Arabian Quality Council (SAQC — Western Region).
Dr. Muhammad A. Tawfiq, president, SGS, said quality application comprises “quality of man, machines, products, principles and services — everything.”
Dr. Ayed T. Al-Amri, director of SAQC, said there were 700 companies in the Kingdom with ISO certification, which was not enough. “The SAQC will continue to present the message with a view to increasing the number to 10,000 companies in the near future,” he said.
Ahmad Mohsin Al-Attas, the SGS Total Quality Management manager, SGS, said the seminar would go to spread the experience of the government sectors that already use the system.
“We are saving more than SR120 million every year from the improved processes based on TQM,” said Mustafa M.S. Alem of the Saudi Electricity Company, one of the sponsors of the seminar.
