A project to reduce the number of faulty products initiated by the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Small and Medium Business Administration is drawing favorable responses from companies as it improves their quality competitiveness and enhances their credibility at home and abroad.
The “Single PPM” project has run for the last 19 years in a bid to reduce the number of defective products to less than 10 per 1 million products, and to ultimately aim for zero defects, the KCCI said.
The PPM, which officials said can stand for both “parts per million” and “perfect production movement,” is divided into two divisions ― quality certificate and quality consulting.
As of last year, a total of 2,108 companies have received a quality certificate and 3,321 companies have received consulting services from relevant experts.
Currently, around 150 large companies, mainly in the industries of automobile production, electricity and electronics, have participated in the project to teach their partner companies about the quality innovation system and help them earn a certificate.
Among the total number of participants, the automobile sector is most highly represented, with 697 companies (33.1 percent), followed by electronics with 642 (30.5 percent) and machinery with 489 (23.2 percent).
“Companies with the certificates will be given preference when government agencies like the Public Procurement Service and Defense Acquisition Program Administration purchase goods,” said Lim Cheol, the KCCI head of the Small and Medium Enterprise Quality Innovation Team.
The head of the SMBA’s Productivity & Innovation Policy Division, Lee Byung-kwon, commented, “For nearly 20 years, the PPM quality project has been rooted in domestic industries, contributing to national competitiveness through quality improvement.”
