Managing Quality in Business

The MUBS Entrepreneurship Centre holds monthly breakfast meetings that bring together different entrepreneurs to network and share experiences. At each meeting, a topic is selected for discussion. The topic is usually selected from the interests expressed by participants but now and again we also select topics that we think will improve business of the participants. The topic for this month was MANAGING QUALITY IN BUSINESS.

Poor people normally are the type that buy cheap products and therefore in the process expect poor quality products not because it is their wish but because that is what they can afford. As I grew up, I was made to believe that products from Asia where poor quality whereas those from England where high quality! For a long time, the goods made in England were associated with high quality. Today goods are no longer produced/made in England. Times have changed, so is the concept of quality.

In the 1980’s & 90’s, the production of electronics, motorcycles, watches and indeed motor vehicles moved from America and Europe to Asia. Conservative stores like Marks and Spences in the UK took time to shift their production of goods to Asia but they soon relented because producing in the UK didn’t make profits for them. If you want a good TV today the names are Sony, Japan, Samsung & LG, Korea. If you want a good phone it is an I phone but made in China and Samsung of South Korea. Of course there are many upcoming companies but they are Asian owned companies and now predominantly Chinese origin.

China has taken over the production capacities of literally the entire Europe and North America. Today China is world’s factory. Lately everything is made in China. For an ordinary Ugandan, Chinas products are associated with poor quality but China is not dumb. They produce very high quality products that go to developed countries, medium quality to middle income countries and poor quality to poor countries. Many poor countries still have that hangover of Made in England. So some crafty producers will produce goods in Dubai, China and elsewhere in low cost countries and label them Made in England or USA to target poor markets who are obsessed the with made in England label. Our countries are as a result of full of poor quality products due to poverty and ignorance.

There are reports that many African traders are exploited by exporters in Asia due to ignorance. Poverty cannot know quality, we import used vehicles, used durable household items and used clothes, and these are bought at about one tenth of the price of new one in a developed country! But a new one made for poor countries maybe twice the cost of an old one but not durable. All this creates challenge for African business in defining quality, producing quality products and services and a quality business objective. In the technical areas craftsmen cannot produce a product of relatively good quality. Furniture, wooden doors, fabricated steel products, fabricated spare parts produced in Uganda are all sub-standard. 

The stories of pursuit of quality by different companies around the world are indeed just stories to many African business people. Quality is not built as a business culture and therefore makes the businesses uncompetitive not only in the local market but even in the international market. IT is not surprising therefore, that because we cannot make good furniture out of our quality wood we import poor quality furniture because it looks smart. That is true for many industries.

Quality is a culture, it is a key to business success and Ugandan business need to embrace it.