Taking on Low-carbon Green Growth

35th National Quality Management Convention presents awards to 64 individuals and firms

ThThe 35th National Quality Management Convention presented awards including gold medals to 64 individuals and 29 firms for excellence in quality management this year, the Korea Agency for Technology and Standards said Nov. 25.
Prime Minister Chung Un-chan and Vice Minister Rim Chae-min of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy attended the event along with dignitaries from related government agencies and business executives totaling some 1,500 people at COEX auditorium in Samsung-dong, southern Seoul.
Chung, in his speech, lauded both companies and workers for their efforts in this difficult time to provide excellent services and products to consumers through quality reform and production process innovation. He said he hoped they would continue to improve quality management to build an industrial base for sustainable low-carbon green growth through a new quality management corporate culture that would make Korea a first-rate nation in the 21st century in pursuit of first-rate quality for customer value and happiness.
The prime minister continued on to say that it is the top quality and price competitiveness of products that will ensure Korea’s sustainable growth and can move consumers amid the limitless competitive environment.
Chairman Choi Kap-hong of the Korea Agency for Technology and Standards in his speech said businesses are required to pay attention to the protection of the environment and to fully execute their social responsibility to ensure their sustainable operations. Green-growth policies are being taken up by the business community as opportunities for growth and to secure competitiveness in business. Businesses should approach environmental problems as business opportunities, as emissions reductions and other environmental problems have become factors that impede international trade, the KATS chairman said.
Korea Plant Service and Engineering Co. and the Yura Corp. won the Korea Quality Management Grand Award, while eight firms including the S&T Heavy Industrial Co. won the Quality Management Award. Hynix Semiconductor Co. came away with the Facility Management Award while 14 other firms grabbed the National Quality Award at the convention.
In the area of medicine, the Anam Hospital, associated with Korea University, and Cha Hospital of the Cha Medical University won awards, while Sungkyunkwan University and Dongkuk University won awards in the education sector.
Nine firms and organizations won the Service Quality Excellence Award, while five firms including Kumho Polychem clinched the Excellence Competitive Strength Company Award.
In the meantime, President Kwon O-hyun, in charge of the semiconductor sector of Samsung Electronics, and President Chung Dong-hak of STX Engine each grabbed an Industrial Medal Gold Tower Award for their contributions to their company’s quality management innovation. Chairman Lee Han-koo of Hyundai Pharmaceutical and President Lee Seung-whi of SeAH Steel won the Industrial Merit Silver Tower medal, among the 64 who won citations and prizes for their contributions to quality management.
The event’s key purpose has been to select and award companies and individual workers who have made outstanding contributions to the national economy by strengthening the nation’s industrial competitive edge through quality management reform to enliven the spirits of those in the industrial sector and to make quality management a national event through further expansion around the country.
The awards given to 29 firms ranged widely from the quality management grand award and the facility management award to the service reform awards and talented employee trainee awards. A total of 64 individuals received the awards including medals, citations and prizes. There were two gold medals, two silver medals, two bronze medals, one iron, one stone and two prizes presented. The awards also included 11 presidential citations, 12 prime ministerial citations and 31 ministerial citations. nw

Prime Minister Chung Un-chan presents an award to one of the prize winners at the 25th National Quality Management Convention.