Develop Long-Term Strategy, Malaysian Organisations Urged

PETALING JAYA (Selangor, Malaysia, Sept 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) Chairman Azman Hashim has called upon Malaysian organisations to develop a long-term strategy and work plan in order to maximise customer value and eliminate waste. He said appropriate ‎goals and practical plans would encourage employees to generate and successfully implement lean ideas. "Indeed, many organisations believe that they are not short of lean ideas but are facing difficulties in executing or implementing these lean ideas," he said in his opening remarks at the Lean Six Sigma Asia Summit 2014 here Wednesday. He said it is important for organisations to build an environment that can sustain productivity, competitiveness, creativity and innovation in order to remain competitive in the region. At the same time, he said, it is necessary to have a built-in culture within an organisation to support creativity and innovation for lean management. "The organisations which achieve great progress towards making innovation a core competency are those in which the leaders and employees genuinely listen and are open to ideas and feedback from others on new ways of doing this," he said. In helping organisations to remain competitive, Azman said MPC has implemented the Lean Enterprise Innovation Intervention Programme (LEAN EIIP) whose tangible benefits for organisations include cost savings by eliminating waste and reducing delays. This year, he said, 85 projects under the programme are being implemented and are expected to generate cost savings of RM11 million by year-end. Azman said lean practices must also be evaluated and recognised by a third party such as MPC, whose role is to provide opportunities for organisations to gain recognition and certification from their achievements. This, he said, would ensure that principles of excellence prevail in organisations and that productivity and competitiveness are sustained to ensure that Malaysia achieves high income status by 2020. ‎ The two-day summit starting today brings experts from seven countries including Japan, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand to share their experiences on issues pertaining to performance and operational excellence. -- BERNAMA