‘2022 Quality Management Festival’, Held in Gyeongju

8.29?9.2 Haikoseo, 48th National Quality Small Group Competition

266 Excellent Small Groups from 90 Companies Passing City and Province Preliminary Competitions Participate

The 48th National Quality Control Circle Competition.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's National Institute of Technology and Standards, Gyeongbuk Province, and Gyeongju City are jointly hosting the ‘48th National Quality Small Group Competition,’ organized by the Korea Standards Association, which will be held for five days from the 29th to the 2nd of next month at the Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention Center.

This competition is an event to discover and award small groups that have contributed to quality improvement through workers' autonomous improvement activities such as cost reduction, productivity enhancement, and customer satisfaction in industrial sites.

Since the enactment of the National Quality Award system in 1975, it has been held annually, and since 2000, it has been held by rotating through cities and provinces to expand the foundation of quality innovation.

A small group refers to a small team composed of about 5 to 10 members formed to perform the same purpose.

Operation of exhibition promotional booth.

This year, 266 small groups from 90 companies that passed the regional preliminary competitions by city and province will participate, competing fiercely in 14 categories including on-site improvement and win-win cooperation.

According to the competition results, medals in the name of the President and certificates in the name of the Minister will be awarded at the 48th National Quality Management Competition in November this year.

The opening ceremony held on the afternoon of the first day, the 29th, began with a special lecture on quality titled ‘A New Paradigm of Quality Management in the Era of the 4th Industrial Revolution’ by Professor Shin Wan-seon of Sungkyunkwan University, followed by a theme video screening, awards for the quality innovation contest, and small group resolutions.

The atmosphere of the competition was elevated by the opening address from Kang Myung-su, President of the Korea Standards Association, and congratulatory speeches by Lee Sang-hoon, Director of the National Institute of Technology and Standards, and National Assembly member Jo Myung-hee.

The competition is operated in four presentation halls prepared by category, with group presentations lasting 10 minutes followed by 15 minutes of Q&A with judges, and the presentations are broadcast live on YouTube.

Additionally, side events include an exhibition of award-winning works from the quality innovation activity contest and promotional booths to engage small group members and visitors attending the competition.

Currently, about 53,000 small groups are active in approximately 9,000 workplaces nationwide, solving 140,000 on-site problems annually, with an economic effect estimated at 3 trillion won per year.

In his welcoming speech, Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “Quality improvement activities on-site are essential for the survival of companies and require the interest of both workers and management,” adding, “I hope this competition will serve as a catalyst for increasing companies engaged in quality management activities and spreading excellent quality innovation cases across all industries.”