Phase two of the Barbados National Standards Institution’s (BNSI) laboratory modernisation effort is expected to be completed by the end of the current financial year.
News of this came from Chairman of the BNSI’s Board of Directors, Ryan Brathwaite, as he addressed the organisation’s Visibility Conference, on Wednesday, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
The theme of the conference was Quality A Must For Success, and during the session, a number of persons who underwent the recently held ISO 9001 Training received their certificates.
Mr. Brathwaite told the in-person and virtual audience that many of the issues plaguing the BNSI prior to 2020, including inadequate operating systems, obsolete laboratory infrastructure, unsatisfactory building and working conditions, as well as significant financial liabilities that hindered the operation, had been rectified.
“Our efforts to restructure all key areas of the Institution have proven successful, and I am confident that the new development path and strategic focus of the organisation will contribute greatly to our economic growth and overall development as a country.
“The BNSI is now better aligned to the international best practices of a global ‘National Standards Body’, and the Laboratory Services have undergone a complete transformation, where Phase 2 of our laboratory modernisation efforts are tabled for completion by the end of this current financial year,” the Chairman stated.
BNSI, he posited, had been steadfast in its responsibility to facilitate a well-developed national quality infrastructure (NQI) and promote the international competitiveness of Barbadian stakeholders in all sectors of the economy.
He said during his chairmanship the Institution improved in several areas, and he listed them as including in its strategic focus to be an innovative, flexible and effective organisation, and to respond quickly to the demands and needs of the national quality infrastructure.
Mr. Brathwaite continued: “BNSI has remained resilient and resolute in fulfilling its mandate toward the protection of consumers and the harmonious development of various sectors of the economy.”
He said it was imperative Barbados improved the quality of its goods and services to meet international standards and remain cost competitive in the national and export markets.
“For Barbados to successfully exploit foreign markets, it is required that our industry has access to an internationally recognised but supportive National Quality Infrastructure. Of course, this will provide the required evidence of product and service compliance. Strategic considerations over the period have developed efficiencies in providing such a National Quality Infrastructure,” Mr. Brathwaite stated.
Chief Executive Officer at the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality, Deryck Omar, said the National Quality Policy of Barbados was expected to facilitate the island’s access to the global market and enhance the competitiveness of its goods and services.
Mr. Omar commended those who participated in the BNSI’s ISO 9001 training initiative – Get Certified – Get Recognised – Get Global Business, saying he believed they would have developed a real appreciation for the importance of quality.
“It is through the enthusiasm and endorsement of these participants that we can spread the message of the benefits of a standards-based approach to quality, business and management systems.
“These participants are the industry leaders of today, by promoting efficiency and competitive production in goods and services, through the process of standardisation and the verification of quality,” he stated.
Mr. Omar also congratulated BNSI for hosting the ISO 9001 training initiative, saying he had been advised that the “response to the training was overwhelming”, and it would be repeated to accommodate others.