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Four factories certified as production models
The Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SMEs) Promotion and Development Office and the Food and Drug Department have certified four factories as models of the Five Standards (5S) and of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) after starting the project a year ago.
Representatives from four factories, C and A Bakery and Food, Mavita Drinking Water, Veunkham Iodised Salt, and Lao-Indochina Tapioca received certificates on Wednesday marking the official end of the project.
The project began in November last year and has been funded by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The scheme also received help from experts at the Asian Productivity Organisation and is scheduled to close at the end of this month.
The goal of the project is to increase efficiency in food and drink production management by raising cleanliness and safety standards in order to protect consumers. The project inspects factories and approves those with good practices as models of manufacturing and production.
The project also builds and strengthens the capacity of technical staff at the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Promotion and Development Office and the ministries of Commerce and Industry and Health to provide consultation services for SMEs by using the 5S and GMP principles.
The project has also encouraged factories to reduce their impact on the environment, safely use machinery and equipment, and to properly store their documents.
The certificates were presented by the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Promotion and Development Office Director General, Mr Somdy Inmyxai.
Productivity is a measure relating a quantity or quality of output compared to the input required to produce it, he said.
If a factory is productive, it will have good administration and employment policies as well as high-quality environmental management to ensure the plant's sustainability, he added.
Mr Somdy said the four factories have taken the lead in the 5S and GMP and are now good models for other factories in Laos.
The year's experience from the project has increased the understanding of the standards needed for good manufacturing practice among factory managers and owners in Laos. They can now lead their staff to develop their own policies and workforce, he added.
vientiane times
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