QCFI to boost micro-level organisations: DK Srivastava

After successfully providing quality control measures for the big organisations, the Quality Circle Forum of India (QCFI) is now focusing on micro-level by going to MSMEs with a 'Mission one lakh' and later to 'Mission one Million' for the households.

This information was shared by the Quality Circle Forum of India Executive Director DK Srivastava in an interview with The Hans India. Srivastava talked about the role of QCFI in quality control and also the future plans. "We have covered most of the big organisations. What we are observing everywhere is that whatever material they are getting from the micro level companies has defects. There are 6.4 crore organisations and out of these 6.3 crore are micro level and nobody used to go to guide them because conditions are not that good. If they have to spend money for quality, say for Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 they will not agree because they will get three managers with that money," said Srivastava.

Hence the QCFI has now taken up a mission to reach out to one lakh MSMEs in the name of 'Mission One Lakh', which was started on September 5. "We will take up free awareness program for all the MSME people from October 2. I myself will be going to do this type of program. Every week we will organise a free program and ensure a one hour program in English, Hindi and local language," said Srivastava.

When asked as to how they would reach out to the MSMEs, Srivastava said that they had about 100 entrepreneurs at different areas all over India and through them the MSME associations joined. "We briefed them what we are going to do, we requested them to communicate them at micro level and once they are convinced that it will be going to benefit them, they will attend," the executive director said.

Sharing an experience, Srivastava said that they took one small scale industry Parle-G in 1996. "We guaranteed them that in the next three years their cost will not go up with their suggested mechanism and the result was- from 1996 to 2011 the 100 gram biscuit which cost Rs 4 remained the same. Whatever money they gave for convergent costs remained the same and they did not increase the convergence cost till 2011," said Srivastava.

The QCFI executive director said that they take people, guide them, train them and explain to them how to identify their own work-related problems. Not only quality but also explain on how to overcome the problems. He said that they had executed works in Hindalco. In an Aluminium plant, there is a reduction (they convert Aluminium Oxide into Aluminium. They used to go to each and every part and check leakage of current and in the process they used to run here and there. After discussions with QCFI, they decided to make a trolley so that they can move the trolley and they started patrolling just to see leakage of current and set the things right while on the move. The company said that they were saving Rs 98 lakh per month by doing this, he added. The organisations which do best quality control are all the NTPC units, Hindalco, Aditya Birla Group, JK Paper Mills, Railways- Kapurthala station, Jaipur Station and others.

The QCFI executive director said that they were having 35 chapters all over India, which are governed with 21 board of directors. It is spread in 14 countries mostly South Asian including Mauritius. The case studies are taken, discussed and spread in other chapters. He said that they would be organising a conclave in Coimbatore soon, where there will be more than 2000 case studies to be discussed.

Srivastava said that the QCFI would be organising the 'International Convention on Quality Control Circles (ICQCC - 2021)' from November 24 to 27 this year at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC). As many as 5,000 delegates would be attending the convention both virtually and physically. Most of the foreign countries' delegates may not be physically attending because of the pandemic restrictions.