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TRANSCRIPT
The Quality Management
Committee held its third
annual Business Excellence
Conference on Thursday
11th November 2010 at the
Excelsior Hotel.
Full Article on Pages 6 - 7
EDITED BY KEVIN J.BORG THE EXCHANGE BUILDINGS, REPUBLIC STREET VALLETTA VLT 1117 TEL.. (356) 2123 3873 FAX. (356) 2124 5223 E: [email protected] www.maltachamber.org.mt
YOUR VOICE IN BUSINESS
ISSUE 45/12th November 2010 A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER OF BUSINESS NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES BY
COLLABORATING PARTNERS
IN THIS ISSUE
1 Hot off The Press
2 Chamber Upcoming Events
3 News from the
Internationalisation Desk
4-9 Chamber Notices
10 News from the MBB Desk
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Business Excellence Conference 2010
Japanese Delegation in Malta
Minister Tonio Fenech has
agreed to meet members
of the Malta Chamber to
discuss the way forward for
Economic Growth after the
announcement of the 2011
Budget Speech.
Full Article on Page 5
Malta Chamber President
Helga Ellul took part in a
Business Forum held at
Malta Enterprise this week,
for the benefit of a
delegation from the
Japanese Chamber of
Commerce in Italy (CCIGI).
Full Article on Page 3
Call to Members: Meeting with Minister Tonio Fenech
/ 12 November 2010
UPCOMING CHAMBER EVENTS
2
CHAMBER UPCOMING EVENTS
25th November Linking Enterprise hosted by World Aviation Group More Info on Page 11
30th November Meeting with the Hon. Minister Tonio Fenech More Info on Page 4
7th December President’s Reception 2010
More Info on Page 4
EXPECTED ARRIVAL OF SHIPS
CHAMBER
Diary
Monday 15th November At 2.00 p.m. Yachting Services Business Section Meeting ________________________ Thursday 18th November At 5.00 p.m. Information Technology Business Section Meeting
Date Name of Vessel Agent Where from Bound for 14/11 Marguerite Carmelo Caruana Ltd Varna Gioia Tauro DS Blue Ocean Carmelo Caruana Ltd Cagliari Rijeka CMA CGM Onyx Carmelo Caruana Ltd Jeddah Tangier Med Thor Star Carmelo Caruana Ltd Oran Algiers Merkur Carmelo Caruana Ltd SFAX Tunis 15/11 Victoria Carmelo Caruana Ltd Alexandria Lattakia Alemania Carmelo Caruana Ltd OTW Volos Oued Eddahab Carmelo Caruana Ltd Gioia Tauro TBA MV Catania Sullivan Maritime Civitavecchia Catania MV Eurocargo Genoa Sullivan Maritime Genoa Livorno MV Setubal Express Sullivan Maritime Salerno Salerno Westertal Thomas Smith & Co Ltd Algeciras Gioia Tauro MV Neptune Ploes S. Mifsud & Sons Ltd Piraeus Barcelona MV Carlo Morace S. Mifsud & Sons Ltd Chioggia Chioggia Tenacia Gollcher Co Ltd Livorno Livorno 16/11 Soraya Carmelo Caruana Co Ltd Naples TBA CMA CGM Agadir Carmelo Caruana Co Ltd Algiers Algiers Susanne Carmelo Caruana Co Ltd Tripoli Benghazi Uranus Carmelo Caruana Co Ltd Izmir Tangier Med CMA CGM Lavender Carmelo Caruana Co Ltd Damietta La Spezia 17/11 CMA CGM Moliere Carmelo Caruana Co Ltd Beirut Valencia Karina Carmelo Caruana Co Ltd Annaba Algiers Clipper Carmelo Caruana Co Ltd Lisbon Piraeus CMA CGM Tosca Carmelo Caruana Co Ltd Port Kilang Le Havre Gascogne Carmelo Caruana Co Ltd S FAX Skikda 18/11 MV Eurocargo Malta Sullivan Maritime Genoa Genoa 20/11 MV Eurocargo Genoa Sullivan Maritime Genoa Livorno MV Jolly Blu S. Mifsud & Sons Ltd Genoa Khoms
/ 12 November 2010 3
NEWS FROM THE INTERNATIONALISATION DESK
Malta Chamber President Helga Ellul took part in a Business Forum held at Malta Enterprise this week for the benefit of a delegation from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Italy (CCIGI). During the Business Forum Mrs Ellul gave a short presentation on the Malta Chamber, explaining its role
within the business community. Malta Enterprise, FinanceMalta, the Malta Freeport and the Malta Tourism Authority also participated. The CCIGI delegation included a number of officials, including H.E Hiroyasu Ando,
Ambassador for Japan and Honorary President of CCIGI. The other delegates were from
a number of world renowned companies such as Mitsui & Co, Mitsubishi Italia, Nippon
Express Italia, and Konica Minolta Business Solutions Italia.
Japanese Delegation in Malta
The Malta Chamber's Internationalisation Desk would like to inform members that a business delegation to Algeria and Libya is being organised under the auspices of Malta Enterprise. Malta Enterprise will endeavour to organize match-making meetings for participants through its institutional networks.
Interested member are kindly requested to contact
[email protected] or [email protected]
for further information and an application form.
Business Delegation
Algeria and Libya: 21 - 27 January 2011
Promising areas of investment, trade, technology and commercialization include:
Oil and Gas
Financial and Professional Services
ICT
Travel and Tourism
Education and Training
Construction and Building Materials
Food and Beverage
/ 12 November 2010 4
Minister Tonio Fenech has agreed to meet members of the Malta Chamber to discuss the way forward for Economic Growth after the announcement of the 2011 Budget Speech.
All members are encouraged to attend this
event to air their views on business and the
economy. The meeting will be held on
Tuesday 30th November at 3.30pm, at the
Exchange Buildings.
The President and Council of
The Malta Chamber of Commerce,
Enterprise and Industry
have pleasure in informing members
that the Annual Reception is to be held at
The Exchange Buildings, Valletta
on Tuesday 7th December 2010
at 7.30 p.m.
More details will be announced shortly
Meeting for Members with the Hon. Minister Tonio Fenech
Interested members may contact Ms Dorianne Bonanno on email: [email protected]
Places are limited please register early to avoid disappointment.
CHAMBER NOTICE
/ 12 November 2010 5
The Malta Chamber has been informed that the Malta Standards Authority (MSA) plans to organise a Food Technology / Food Science (and possibly encompassing Food Safety) Course next year. The course is envisaged to be an intensive three day course and delivered by Foreign expert/s. Should your company be interested in this initiative, please contact Mr Mark A. Cassar on [email protected], including the general topics which you would like covered.
Food Technology & Food Safety Course
CHAMBER NOTICE
The Malta Chamber has recently issued very smart lapel badges for its members. The sterling silver pins, presented in a black velvet pouch portray the icon found within our organisation’s logo, the wings on the helmet of Mercury (Hermes) – who in Greek mythology represents the messenger of the gods and the patron of commerce.
The icon’s three-tier dimension, also encapsulates the three main pillars within the Malta Chamber: Commerce, Enterprise and Industry and which in turn are represented by the three Economic Groups which are the pillars of our organisation.
The badges will be sold exclusively to members of the Malta Chamber. These lapel badges may be purchased from the Malta Chamber Secretariat, at €15 each.
Exclusive to Malta Chamber MembersExclusive to Malta Chamber MembersExclusive to Malta Chamber Members
Please contact Ms Johanna Calleja on [email protected]
to order your lapel pin.
/ 12 November 2010 6
CHAMBER NEWS
Mrs Ellul was followed by Quality Management Committee Chairman Mr. Emidio J. Friggieri, who gave an introduction to the conference.
Keynote speaker, Dr Everard van Kemenade, Senior Consultant Quality Management, Fontys International Projects described the paradigms of quality over time, from a focus on standards control and the product, to improvement of the organization, to the human being, and corporate social responsibility, which is the model we find today. Dr Van Kemenade also pointed out that when in the past companies would take a reflection-on-action approach, today companies must take a reflection-in-action approach, with monitoring taking place at each stage of the process. Due to globalization too much is at stake, and it is much more expensive to make mistakes.
Dr Van Kemenade was followed by Mr John Magro, Managing Director, Magro Brothers (Foods) Ltd, who said that his company considers quality not as an imposed necessity but as the driver for their business. “We have learnt that through quality management, business operators are more open to accept change,” he said. Mr Magro explained that big organisations expect quality; only the rest can be negotiated. “To service world class clients one needs to have these international quality credentials in place before they even respond to you.”
“Organizations and indeed governments and the EU Commission need to balance out expensive quality programs with sustainability, flexibility and efficiency,” concluded Mr Magro.
During his presentation, Mr Alex Aquilina, Managing Director, Eagle K-Wear Co. Ltd, focused on the experience of taking one’s business internationally. He stated that in order to do so, a company must
identify its competitive advantage, core competence and expertise. A company must also have the ability to recognize and identify market change, and be flexible and responsive enough to make the change. “Quality in your business culture and ethics will help you overcome the wave of globalisation and consumerism by differentiating your company from the competition,” he said.
Business Excellence Conference 2010
“Improvement is an ongoing process, and this is why aiming for business excellence is an imperative,” said Mrs. Ellul, during the third Annual Business Excellence Conference, organized by the Malta Chamber. “This is the way that we should manage our businesses in the face of accelerating competitive pressure and fast-paced demands. This applies to the largest organisations, down to the micro enterprise, and involves each and every employee, as well as suppliers and above all customers.”
Morning Session Speakers
Continues on Page 7
/ 12 November 2010 7
CHAMBER NEWS
During the parallel session on Manufacturing, Dr Konrad Saur, Director Global Quality & Management Systems, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions focused on the pressures of globalization on quality. Dr. Saur described a number of challenges being faced by the manufacturing company, such as the high levels of customer individual requirements and expectations, and whether the production unit can deal with such complexity. As regards solutions Dr. Saur highlighted a number of approaches, such as focusing on operational excellence, customer focus in sales, clear product and application strategies, and technology leadership.
During the session on Financial Services, Ms Maria Micallef, Partner, RSM Malta described the process of designing Key Performance Indicators, stating that KPIs should be clearly linked to strategy, be properly defined and measurable. Ms Micallef explained that all units within an organisation should have their own KPIs which should in turn be linked to the organisation’s KPIs. “KPIs are one of the most powerful tools available to enable organizations to achieve improved performance and aim towards excellence,” she said. “However, KPIs should be primarily deployed for learning and improvement and not for command control.”
During the session on ICT, Mr. David Walsh, Chief Executive Officer, Crimsonwing Limited stated that the road to quality and value consists of a number of criteria, including qualified staff, international experts, industrial expertise, cross platform, quality processes, and cost effective delivery. Mr. Walsh described the quality objectives at Crimsonwing, whose foundations are skilled people, regularly monitored processes and technologies and vendors. Projects are built on this foundation, leading to
customer satisfaction. Other speakers included Mr. Nonzio Bonello, European QA/RA Director, Microtek Medical Malta Ltd, Dr Mario Vella, Foreign Direct Investment Director, Grant Thornton, and Mr Jin Choi, Country Director, SmartCity Malta. The final session consisted of a panel discussion which included Mr. Saur, Mr. Walsh, Ms Micallef and Dr. Van Kemenade.
Business Excellence Conference 2010 Continued
Networking during the Business Excellence Conference
Final Discussion Speakers
/ 12 November 2010 8
UPCOMING EVENT
Linking Enterprise is a service which the Malta Chamber is offering to its members, consisting of
company visits, which give participants the opportunity to:
Benchmark their performance and learn new ways how to enhance their business operations;
Link between theory and practical application;
Sharing of experiences, insights and feedback;
Look into different processes, technologies and solutions.
The next Linking Enterprise Event is scheduled for Thursday 25th of November 2010, at 3pm
At World Aviation Group
World Aviation Group is an exciting example of a Maltese company in the services sector, which has
managed to internationalise. It is not often one gets a chance look into this growing and dynamic
sector: In fact, the concept of exporting services is often abstract. During this visit, participants will
have the opportunity to see the physical operations of a company offering back-office support and
international call centre services, as well as learn about the many international opportunities of
World Aviation. If you are a company interested in exploring new markets or offering your services
to call centres and business process outsourcing (BPO), you should not miss this event!
Formed around 20 years ago, World Aviation Group
started as a General Sales Agency. Today the Group has
grown adding Centrecom Ltd, a customer contact
centre, to its portfolio in 2006. Centrecom is a leading
multi-lingual contact centre boasting a vast and
specialised service package that includes both inbound
and outbound call services.
In 2007 BPO Services Ltd was established providing
high quality revenue accounting services to the airline
industry as well as financial accounting, billing and
other related services to virtually any sector seeking
an efficient way to run their back-office operations.
A newcomer to its portfolio is Aviation Online, a
leading General Sales Agency network operating in
various countries through a chain of franchised
partners. Its operations function as a one-stop service
promoting and selling the products of its principal
airlines.
CAPITALISE ON YOUR MEMBERSHIP
WHY PARTICIPATE?
‘World Aviation Group has complete
commitment to a
Quality Focused Culture, constantly
striving for Performance Perfection
and Customer Satisfaction’
WORLD AVIATION GROUP
World Aviation Group Offices in Luqa
/ 12 November 2010 9
INTERNATIONALISATION COMMITTEE
The Internationalisation Committee at the Malta Chamber seeks to promote the internationalisation of the members by:
Informing members, government and media about issues related to international trade and investment.
Cooperating with other entities, especially Malta Enterprise, Finance Malta, Malta Business Bureau and the Diplomatic Corps.
Organising, supporting and promoting events and missions which serve to promote the internationalisation of Maltese companies.
The Internationalisation committee is pleased to join forces with the
SME committee on this initiative.
THURSDAY, 25TH OF NOVEMBER - PROGRAMME
15:00—15:15 Registration and Coffee 15:15—15:20 Welcome Speech 15:20—15:30 Malta Chamber Services Economic Group 15:30—17:00 World Aviation Group Overview, Office Tour, Discussion: WAG Operations 17:00—17:15 Malta Chamber Internationalisation Committee 17:15—17:30 Question Time & Event Closure
REGISTRATION FORM - WORLD AVIATION GROUP VISIT
I/We wish to confirm our participation to the World Aviation Visit:
Name of participant (s): _____________________________________________
Name of company: _________________________________________________
Tel No: ___________________ E-Mail: _______________________________
Signature:___________________ Date: _____________________________
Kindly confirm your booking by sending the above registration coupon to
Ms Jeanelle Catania by
Tuesday 23rd of November on e-mail address: [email protected]
Should you have any queries, please contact us on 22 03 23 25
UPCOMING EVENT
/ 12 November 2010
NEWS FROM THE MBB DESK
10
A recent study presented by the European Commission to Ministers for Gender Equality, concludes that flexible working time arrangements benefit both employers and workers. This came to light during an informal meeting in Brussels discussing a new strategy for gender equality between 2010 and 2015.
During times of
economic slowdown, working time arrangements are key to success in the EU’s vision to promote family-friendly measures for work-life balance. On the one hand, flexibility in work times together with institutional support such as care facilities for children, lead to higher employment rates as well as sustainable birth rates. On the other hand, facilitating work arrangements helps people stay in their jobs; a crucial matter in times of economic recovery when enterprises could do without costs such as additional recruitment and training.
It is noted however that flexible
working arrangements do not necessarily support the promotion of gender equality. For instance, studies show that
flexibility is mostly concentrated in part-time or low-paid sectors with low career and training opportunity prospects. It is statistically noted that these roles are predominantly occupied by women and thus if this organizational employment structure persists, it will result in wider gender inequality.
The political agenda of EU member states for working time flexibility differs across the board. While some countries promote it as an instrument to increase employment rates (both in individuals and in hours), others view this trend as a positive counterbalance to
overtime. Above all, working time flexibility helps employers adjust to changing economic circumstances.
In a survey conducted among EU
member states and EFTA countries on their flexible working arrangements, Malta classifies around the EU27average in ‘Part-time’ work, however features below the EU27 average when it comes to ‘working overtime’ and ‘working long hours’.
Flexible work arrangements are benefitting who?