Bennett Oghifo
It was multiple celebration for Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company (IVM) in Nnewi, Anambra State recently, as the company celebrated its 13th anniversary that was sweetened by the award of two certifications – the Innoson Vehicles ISO 9001 2015 Quality Management System and MANCAP Certificates to Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Co Lid by the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON).
The Chairman/CEO of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Co Limited, Chief Dr. Innocent Chukwuma said the company’s achievement was “In Pursuit of Perfection”, stating that SON’s certificates were “accrued benefits.”
The occasion was remarkable, noted the Director General Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke at the presentation of the certificates to IVM.
Okeke, who was represented by the Director of SON, South-east, Fred Akingbesote, stated that “By this achievement, your organisation has joined a few privileged classes of ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certified organisations in the Indigenous Vehicle Manufacturing Sector in Nigeria. This milestone achievement in the pursuit of service and product excellence is commendable and worthy of emulation by all organisations in Nigeria.”
He said, “The ISO 9001:2015 system certification is a demonstration of your Management system’s conformity to internationally acceptable standard requirements and the ability of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Limited to get it right the first time and always.”
The Indigenous Vehicle Manufacturing sector in which Innoson operates “is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by ever-changing end-user requirements and global trends. These unending changes and global trends bring a host of new opportunities as well as a range of new challenges. The ongoing challenges require you to be creative in your product and service delivery.”
He said, “Being one of the very few certified Indigenous Vehicle Manufacturing companies in Nigeria, you will agree with me that your biggest challenge in this endless journey to excellence, is to direct your efforts towards the delivery of consistent customer satisfaction.
“Your service and products are extremely important to Nigeria, especially in the face of the prevailing economic challenges in the country and competitiveness in the market. Therefore, adopting a more innovative approach which the ISO 9001:2015 standard provides; will help your organization navigate through any period of disruption. It will also help your organization gain competitive advantage through greater responsiveness to customer demands, faster turnaround times and reduced downtime.”
This ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System Standard, he said, “provides you with opportunities and frameworks to satisfy your customers and retain their loyalty for long-term revenue and profitability.
You can attest to the fact that your ability to formalise your operational system by documenting processes, procedures, and responsibilities for achieving quality policies and objectives recommended by the standard has strengthened your process efficiency, organisational culture and regulatory compliance. It also has optimised your efforts for continual improvement with the adoption of data for evidence-based decision-making to ensure customer satisfaction. “
“In Pursuit of Perfection”
In his welcome speech titled, “In Pursuit of Perfection”, the Chairman/CEO of Innoson Vehicles, Chief, Dr. Innocent Chukwuma described the event as special, saying, “We are here not just to celebrate our 13”* anniversary; we are here to celebrate our accrued benefits in our pursuit of perfection.
“One of the major accrued benefits we have is the Innoson Vehicles ISO 9001 2015 Quality Management System and MANCAP Certificates to Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Co. Lid by the Standards Organization of Nigeria.
“As we mark this milestone in our journey of creating quality Nigerian-made vehicles. We are honored to have you all join us for this momentous occasion.”
He said the company “has come a long way since our humble beginning in October 2010. Our vision was simple: to provide reliable, durable, and affordable vehicles for Nigerians. And we have stayed true to that vision, with our commitment to excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
“In our pursuit of perfection, we have upgraded our factory from manual production to semi-automation and then to standard automation which has seen our production capacity rise from 10, 000 vehicles to 60,000 vehicles per annum.”
“In our pursuit of perfection,” he said, they procured “robot painting equipment which when installed will reduce operating cost, increase productivity, and improve product quality, leading to better customer satisfaction, In our pursuit of perfection, we have introduced African Specifications in the production of vehicles by introducing the concept of regionalisation in the production of vehicles by making sure that we consider the African environment, local tastes, and consumer preferences in the African region during the production of our vehicle.
“In our pursuit of perfection, we acknowledge the fact that the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. Innoson Vehicles will continue to improve steadily till it becomes one of the best automobile companies in the world. We shall get there.
“As we celebrate this achievement, I want to express my gratitude; to our passionate and hardworking team, the wonderful and resilient staff of Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing who have made this possible. Their unwavering commitment to excellence is the driving force behind our success. To all relevant stakeholders such as the Federal Government of Nigeria, Standards Organization of Nigeria, National Automotive Design and Bank of Industry, and the NADDC, Institutions, thank you for your support and encouragement. To our key customers such as Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Government, State Governments, Private organisations, and individuals, we appreciate you for believing in us and having faith in us. Your patronage is the reason why we are still in business. We promise that we shall keep getting
better. To our relevant Support Groups, IVM Social Media Family, Netizeus, and the members of the Press thank you all for your advocacy which has made us strong, and criticism which has made us better.”
