NI Firms Secure Top Spot in Leading European Quality Measure
Six Northern Ireland organisations have successfully measured up to the very toughest gauge of business competitiveness in Europe, a leading awards event heard last night (Monday 30th January 2006). Newry firm FPM Chartered Accountants, Belfast-based Allied Bakeries, the Cedar Foundation, and three schools from the North West (St Mary’s Primary, St Anne’s Primary and St Mary’s College), each secured the Global Excellence Quality Award NI at the Centre for Competitiveness (CforC) organised awards in Belfast’s Ramada Hotel.
The accolade is the highest award made in the scheme, which measures Northern Ireland private, public and voluntary sector organisations against the globally recognised European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) business excellence framework.
Organised by CforC in association with Invest Northern Ireland, the event is supported by sponsors Bombardier, Citigroup, Deliotte, OFMDFM and Ulster Bank. The Global Excellence Quality Awards NI recognise excellence in organisational performance and best practice across all areas of good management.
CforC chief executive, Bob Barbour, says that each recipient of the top award has demonstrated how working within the EFQM framework has significantly improved their quality, productivity and financial performance.
 St Anne's Primary School |
 St Mary's Primary School |
 St Mary's College |
 Allied Bakeries |
 FPM Chartered Accountants |
 The Cedar Foundation |
“The EFQM model has been proven time and again to add considerable value to organisations across Northern Ireland and indeed Europe and to make a resulting impact on the local economy,” he says. “Previous winners have continued to develop their business, increase employment and grow competitively in international markets.”
“Research has shown that within five years, winners of the Quality Award across Europe, when compared to other companies, have experienced higher growth in sales of an average of more than 77%, higher increases in operating income by an average of 18% and higher growth in assets by more than 44%,” Mr Barbour continues. “Northern Ireland winners have found bottom line results increasing year on year and some have gone on to win the European equivalent award.”
“The diverse nature of the organisations who have secured the award this year demonstrate that the fundamental concept of excellence, when applied to any organisation, can significantly improve their performance and ability to compete globally,” Mr Barbour continues.
“Benchmarking quality management progress against the EFQM framework will help organisations become much more efficient, improve communication within and without, improve products and services, develop new and better ways of doing business and help all types of organisations to ultimately improve their ‘bottom line’,” Mr Barbour adds.
All organisations that take part in the Global Excellence Quality Awards NI benefit from an in depth review of their operations which compares performance against international recognised concepts of excellence using Europe’s most widely used management framework, the EFQM model. This offers a measure of international competitiveness.
Other winners in the scheme this year include the Enforcement of Judgements Office (NI Court Service), the Medical Physics Agency, the Fold Housing Association, Health Estates, Rate Collection Agency, CASS (WELB), the NI Tourist Board, the Procurement Unit - Water Service Green Park Healthcare Trust, NEELB, the Triangle Housing Association, ICS Computing, Nu Print Technologies Limited and Business Improvement Section, Belfast City Council.
Full list of organisation's recognised this year is below.
NORTHERN IRELAND QUALITY AWARD
Allied Bakeries
(NI) Ltd
FPM Chartered Accountants
St
Anne’s Primary School
St Mary’s
College
St
Mary’s Primary School
The Cedar Foundation
PRIZE WINNER
Business Improvement
Section - Belfast City Council
MARK OF EXCELLENCE
Green Park
Healthcare Trust
ICS Computing
Ltd
North Eastern Education
& Library Board
Nu Print Technologies
Ltd
Triangle
Housing Association Ltd
STEPS TO EXCELLENCE
Gold:
Fold Housing Association
Health
Estates
NI Regional
Medical Physics Agency
Enforcement
of Judgments Office - Northern Ireland Court Service
Silver:
Rate
Collection Agency
CASS - Western Education
Library Board
Bronze:
Northern Ireland Tourist
Board
Procurement Unit
- Water Service
BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY – CORPORATE & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
AWARD
FPM Chartered
Accountants
MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP NETWORK – CORPORATE LEADERSHIP
AWARD
Allied Bakeries
(NI) Ltd
St Mary’s
College
Click here for more information on how companies and organisations improve themselves and obtain these levels of recognition.
Sponsored By
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In Association With
Members Network Events
27 Feb - EFQM in a nutshell, lessons from the education sector featuring
CCEA, St Mary College and St Anne’s Primary School. Host: CCEA,
Belfast
7 Mar – Excellence in Action featuring FPM Chartered Accountants. Host: FPM, Newry
8 Mar – Excellence in Action featuring Tobermore Concrete Products and St Mary’s Primary School. Host: Tobermore Concrete
Date TBC Mar – Excellence in Action featuring The Cedar Foundation and Allied Bakeries. Host: The Cedar Foundation, Belfast
Common Interest Conference
15 Mar - Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) conference in partnership
with Business in the Community. Host: FG Wilson, Larne
Get ready for next year!
9 Mar – How to prepare a submission for entry to the Global Excellence
Quality Awards NI
Further information will be available soon on www.cforc.org/events
- to register your interest in any of the above please contact Pauline
on (028) 9073 7950 or pauline.pollock@cforc.org
