Businesses urged to become globally competitive through ISO certification

Director General in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr. Vivian Brown, is urging businesses to seek international standard certification so that they can be competitive in the global marketplace.

He made the remarks during the presentation of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 certificates to JP Tropical Foods-Snacks Division and Jamaica North South Highway Company (NSHC), at the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites on Friday, March 23.

Mr. Brown noted that Jamaica’s businesses must become internationally certified if they hope to grow and operate sustainably. “One of the missing ingredients for growth of the national economy has been standards,” the director general stated.

JP Tropical Foods-Snacks Division and NSHC have been certified to ISO 9001 standard by the National Certification Body of Jamaica (NCBJ), which is the independent certification unit of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ).

The scope of certification for JP Foods covers the manufacturing of fried banana chips, cassava chips, breadfruit chips and frozen peeled green bananas. For the NSHC, their certification covers the management of systems used to assist in toll operation and infrastructure maintenance in accordance with their concession agreement. This means that both companies now have a management system that is internationally recognized and can rival other companies anywhere in the world.

Director General Brown added that with the need for Jamaican companies to become more internationally recognized, the ISO 9001 certification is essential in order for the country’s trading partners to have confidence in the goods and services that are provided.

“Increasingly, for this economy to survive and grow, it must be open to international trade. You have to embrace standards if you are to successfully sell your products and services in the marketplace, which is both local and foreign,” he further stated.

The ISO is an independent non-Governmental organization and is the world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards. It is comprised of 163 member countries with a central secretariat located in Geneva, Switzerland. The function of the ISO is to give specifications to products, services and systems on how to achieve optimal quality, safety and efficiency in their activities.
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