|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
With the restructuring of the Secretariat in January 2007, the Industry Department has taken over most of the programs and activities of the former Environment Department. With this integration into its own programs and activities, the department is now able to provide activities relating to sustainable productivity promotion and implementation that are comprehensive and seamless. The programs and activities of the Industry Department are designed to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of businesses and corporations in the manufacturing and service sectors, including improving their resource and environmental management performance. To achieve these objectives, the projects of the Industry Department are organized around four core programs:
BUSINESS EXCELLENCEThis initiative aims at sharpening the business acumen and improving the operations and strategy of corporations in the manufacturing and service sectors to enable them to attain ever higher standards of competitiveness and excellence. The primary areas of focus are business excellence frameworks, quality award schemes, and new management tools such as knowledge management and innovation management, among others. Some projects initiated under this program dealt with:
MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE
This initiative specifically targets SMEs. It aims at enabling them to achieve higher productivity and sustainable competitiveness through improving production processes. It focuses on activities at the shopfloor level and emphasizes continuous improvement. The intention is to build a productivity and quality culture on the shopfloor. This program is unique as it features Japanese experiences and approaches. Some projects organized under this program include:
GREEN PRODUCTIVITY
The APO Green Productivity (GP) concept is a strategy for enhancing productivity and protecting the environment. It follows a twin-pronged approach of capacity building and the development of trainers so that member countries can continue to promote and implement the concept on their own. For this reason, efforts are being made to institutionalize GP promotion and dissemination involving NPOs and other stakeholder institutions in member countries. The topics covered under the GP Program include eco-products, green supply chains, and eco-design, among others. Some projects covered under this program include:
ENERGY EFFICIENCYCorporations in the Asia-Pacific region are faced with the challenge of rising energy costs. For SMEs, energy management is emerging as a critical factor for surviving intense competition. This requires a multifaceted approach that embraces building corporate capacity, creating a pool of experts, and formulating governmental policies and regulations for promoting energy efficiency. To help SMEs accomplish this, projects on the following themes are being planned targeting different stakeholders:
DON IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMThe Industry Department administers the DON Implementation Program, the implementation arm of the DON Strategy Program of the Research & Planning Department. This program, which essentially centralizes all APO individual-country assistance programs under one department for better coordination and maximum impact, is geared to meet the specific needs of member countries, either individually or in groupings with similar interests. It encompasses the following initiatives:
In line with the APO’s objective of strengthening the competency of member countries in productivity promotion and improvement, the Industry Department’s core activities continue to center on projects that enable the mastery of proven tools and techniques for productivity and quality improvement. A project may either focus on only one specific tool or technique, like the Taguchi Method, Quality Award Framework, or Greening Supply Chains, or it may be a composite program that brings various tools and techniques together, as in the Development of Productivity Specialists Program. The latter has both a basic and an advanced course. Technical Expert Services (TES) TES provides short- and long-term technical expert support to member countries on a request basis to meet one or more of the following objectives:
Each time a TES expert is deputed to a member country, the NPO concerned is required to assign at least one staff member to serve as his/her local counterpart to understudy the expert as part of the NPO staff development program and, in the case of consultancy services, to follow up on the work of the expert after his departure. Demonstration/Model Projects The APO assists member countries in establishing demonstration/model organizations, companies, and communities to showcase tangible results of productivity improvement programs and encourage others to undertake similar efforts. Potential candidates are recommended by NPOs and the final selection is made in consultation with experts and the APO Secretariat. The APO deputes experts to the selected organizations to do diagnostic studies, recommend an action plan for productivity improvement, and help implement the plan. The results are documented for learning by others. Through this program, NPOs will eventually develop the ability to manage their own demonstration/model projects. Bilateral Cooperation Between NPOs (BCBN) BCBN facilitates productivity professionals from an NPO or similar organizations in a member country to participate in selected programs organized by another NPO. This is a model example of mutual support and cooperation for productivity improvement among APO member countries. BCBN also sponsors the visits of high-level officials, policymakers, and opinion leaders from one member country to another to observe and study firsthand proven productivity policies and programs. Observational Study Missions (OSM) The OSM Program provides opportunities for senior executives, business leaders, and managers from private-sector corporations and top officials and policymakers from the government/public sector to investigate innovative productivity development policies and programs in other more advanced countries. There are two types of OSM. Individual-country OSMs are study missions from one country to one or more others, and Multicountry OSMs comprise participants from several member countries that share a common field of interest. Although most OSMs are deputed to other APO member countries, in some instances they have been sent outside the membership as well, like Australia, Canada, Switzerland, and the USA in 2007.
|
|||||||||
Visiting a SME practicing Monozukuri, Japan
Participants in Advanced Productivity System, Japan
Opening the Eco-products International Fair 2006, Singapore