Jakość - Normalizacja - Certyfikacja
Dodatek lobbingowy do RZECZPOSPOLITEJ.
9 listopada 2007 r.

po polsku

"ABC Jakości" is the winner of the Polish Honorary Quality Award

An interview with Wojciech Henrykowski, President of the Polish Centre for Testing and Certification

What is the role of the "ABC Jakości" (ABC of Quality) in the life of the Polish Centre for Testing and Certification (PCTC)? Is it related only to the PCTC or does it have a mission to complete in the quality market?

The first issue of the quarterly was published in 1995 and there is no doubt that it has a certain mission to complete. First of all, it provides information on topics such as adaptation of the Polish laws in the field of quality and certification to the requirements of the European Union. Hence the "ABC" in the name of the quarterly, which stands for "akredytacja, badania, certyfikacja" (accreditation, research, certification). A new addition is the topic of notification. In the last 12 years, the nature of the quarterly has changed a little. Now that Poland is a member of the EU, we provide information of the PCTC's cooperation with European organizations and of our participation therein. Besides that, we provide information on training courses, new certificates, etc. We focus on providing information related to quality in various branches of the economy. We publish information on tools used in corporate management in order to improve quality. Because of the basic subject, quality, we consider the quarterly to be a branch periodical. However, if we consider the fact that quality management encompasses all sectors of the economy, it is rather an interdisciplinary periodical.

Are there any counterparts of your quarterly in any of the EU countries?

Some certification bodies like us do have their own periodicals. They have a slightly different format, less attractive than that of the "ABC Jakości" and they are issued irregularly. They resemble a bulletin more than a periodical.

Who are the readers of your quarterly?

The readers of "ABC Jakości" are mostly representatives of firms and laboratories who are members of various organizations, such as the Polish ISO 9000 Forum or POLLAB with over 400 member laboratories. Many firms subscribe to our quarterly. As the number of certified companies increases, so does the demand for our periodical. The managers who have implemented a quality system in their companies must keep abreast of changes in the market, of new regulations and requirements. "ABC Jakości" helps such managers. Currently the size of the edition is approximately 1200 copies.

The "ABC Jakości" quarterly is turning 12 but the PCTC will soon be exactly half a century old. How much has this institution changed over the course of those 50 years?

The celebration of the 50th anniversary is planned for next year because the exact anniversary of the institution is in November 2008. On 8 November 1958, the Council of Ministers, in resolution no. 426 on marking products with a quality symbol, created the Quality Symbol Bureau (QSB).

What was the idea of a quality symbol? The government at that time wanted Polish companies to achieve high quality of products. The Job of the QSB was to qualify products with respect to their suitability for the "Q" symbol for products which was a sign of the highest world quality, and for the "1" symbol for products which was a sign of the highest domestic quality. It was an effort to improve quality of products by means of administrative action, and the role of directors of unions and associations was to determine the plan for the qualified products. the QSB developed models and standards for these products in accordance with characteristics used in the western economies. Thus, the Quality Symbol Bureau has met the expectations of both the decision makers and the society. In the following years, the QSB was transformed into the Central Product Quality Bureau (CPQB) and under this name it existed until early 1990's. The CPQB was the first institution in Poland to start certification of quality systems that were compatible with the ISO 9000 series standards. It also began accreditation of research laboratories and bodies conducting certification of products in accordance with the EN 45000 series standard. In 1994, the CPQB was replaced by the Polish Centre for Testing and Certification which, in 2003, became a state-owned company. As PCTC, we had to adapt to European requirements, knowing that the Polish economy would find itself in a very competitive environment. Quality symbols did not disappear but they changed their format. The PCTC is a notified body no. 1434. We offer services in the area of the 10 EU directives concerning product safety, among others of toys, electric equipment, construction materials, and machines. The EU's approach is to assure safety and protect health. As for quality, the approach is different. According to the EU, it is the marketplace and the competition that should verify quality. Quality is to be confirmed by certificates, including those issued by the PCTC. Therefore, currently our main tasks are to certify management systems, to certify and test products, and to conduct training courses. Please be reminded that, as a state-owned entity with years of experience in the area of quality, we provide our opinion on many legal documents to the government administration.

Did the role of the PCTC change after Poland's accession to the European Union?

Yes, it did. Before 1 May 2004, the Center played the role of a coordinator of the domestic research and certification system which included approximately 60 certification bodies and over 200 laboratories. After Poland's accession to the EU this situation changed because the Center became a part of the European conformance assessment system. We became another certification body and we lost the status of a coordinating body. Consequently, foreign certification bodies became our competitors. Now we must find our place in the market. Nevertheless, some characteristics allow us to stand out from the crowd. First, integration of the EU is not complete; for example some elements of national systems remain in the certification of the construction industry. Secondly, thanks to our international cooperation, we have qualifications that other bodies do not have. As early as in 1998, we became accredited by the European Quality Organization (EQO) to conduct training in accordance with its program and to issue the certificates of European auditor and European manager. In 2004, the PCTC was selected to become the institution to perform tasks resulting from the EU program to award the Ecolabel ecological symbol, in accordance with the principle that only one body can be authorized to issue the Ecolabel in any given country. So far we have issued 10 such certificates, to include one awarded to a hotel. Since 1997, we are a member of the IQNet, which authorizes us to issue to Polish companies international certificates covering many management systems. I would like to add that last year we awarded the first ISO 27001 and ISO 22000 certificates and corruption prevention system certificates. Our international cooperation has resulted in the right to issue the British Retail Consortium (BRC) certificates to food products, packaging, and consumer products, and to issue the German - French International Food Standards (IFS) certificates that are overseen by HDE, the German organization of store chains. This is our new offer to store chain suppliers.

The Polish Centre for Testing and Certification has received many awards for its activities. But your organization undertakes many actions to promote quality...

This is correct. Together with the Polish Chamber of Commerce and the Umbrella Association of Consultants, we established the National Partner Organization (NPO) to represent in Poland the European Foundation for Quality Management which awards the European Quality Award. As the Polish partner organization of the EFQM we are authorized to issue awards of 1st and 2nd level.

What are the plans of the PCTC for the nearest future?

First of all we are keeping abreast of the trends in total quality management and we continuously expand our service offer. We also slowly go beyond the borders of Poland in our activities. We have signed contracts with companies from China, Turkey, Korea, and India. We have already issued over 200 certificates in Turkey.

Every year, in November, we celebrate the European Quality Day, and on 11 November the Polish Quality Awards will be issued in the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

There are three levels of the European Quality Award: committed to excellence, recognized for excellence, and the European Quality Award as the highest level. The first two levels are assessed by the National Partner Organization, that is the PCTC together with the PCC and the Umbrella, while the EFQM issues the highest award. So far, two Polish companies from the automotive industry have received this award. The slogan of this year's European Quality Week, which will take place between 5 and 11 November, is "Quality in Europe: Innovation and Care." Without innovation we cannot envision improving the operation of businesses. In September, there was a meeting of the Polish Quality Award Committee in the quarters of the PCC, during which this year's winners and distinguished participants of the Polish Quality Award contest were selected. I am happy to inform you that the "ABC Jakości" quarterly is the winner of the Polish Honorary Quality Award.

What are the problems with quality that Polish firms are facing?

Not all companies focus on continuous improvement and on using tools to improve their management and thus to improve the quality of their products or services. They do not consider such things as benchmarking or lowering their operating costs, they do not stay abreast of trends in management models, etc. Consequently, it turns out that they are losing ground to their competitors. Therefore, my message to companies is that they should follow the path of quality. Their future depends on this. Another thing is that the role of Poland's economic potential is growing. Thanks to their improvement, Polish companies can grow and look for new market for their sales, also in other countries.

Thank you for the interview.

MW

Polskie Centrum Badań i Certyfikacji S.A.
02-699 Warszawa, ul. Kłobucka 23A
tel. centr. 022 46-45-200, fax 647-12-22
www.pcbc.gov.pl