According to an analysis of companies from the Coffee Region that participated in Colombia Productiva programs, only three out of 10 MSMEs in the region (that is, 30%) have standardized and documented processes that allow them to improve the quality of their processes and of your products or services. In the country, only 6.3% of the companies surveyed by DANE have process quality certifications, and only 3.1% have product quality certifications (EDIT, 2020).
For the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Germán Umaña Mendoza, “When companies incorporate quality into their processes, they increase their productivity, are more sustainable and contribute to the reindustrialization of the national economy, contributing to the economic and social justice of the population. For this reason, through Colombia Productiva we are executing the Quality for Reindustrialization strategy, with which we allocate more than $4 billion in 2023 so that more companies in the Coffee Region and all the departments of the country incorporate quality requirements so that they reach more and new markets.
For his part, Aurelio Mejía, general manager of Colombia Productiva, highlighted that “According to our entity’s analysis, companies in the Coffee Region that carried out actions to improve their quality increased the level of control of their internal processes by up to 84% and reduced non-compliant products or services by 43% on average. With these results, the benefited MSMEs increased customer confidence, minimized economic losses due to lack of quality, and have a greater capacity to create new businesses. With Quality for Reindustrialization, we will ensure that more than 1,600 MSMEs receive training and technical assistance to incorporate quality into their DNA.”
In order for MSMEs to close these gaps that limit their growth, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, through Colombia Productiva, provides a series of recommendations that will help them raise their quality standards to compete inside and outside the country.
1. Identify which standards you need for your company and your industry
2. Prioritize quality management in internal processes
3. Get regular training and get to know the quality ecosystem