Friday Dec 13, 2024
Tuesday, 16 October 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
A seminar/workshop on ‘Enhancing Competitiveness by Measuring and Improving Productivity’ will be held on Wednesday, 24 October 2012 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the National Chamber Auditorium located at 450, D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha, Colombo 10.
The seminar will be useful for managing directors, CEOs, COOs, general managers, factory managers, and others such as accountants, productivity services executives, and industrial engineers who are involved in measuring productivity and who prepare management reports.
Sri Lanka’s competiveness is fast eroding due to the high cost of labour, energy and other inputs. Therefore, the industry needs to adopt a well planned system to measure their present level of productivity and improve further. Many industries have focused on productivity improvement over the past few years but there is scope for further improvements.
This workshop will enable participants to systematically calculate productivity, to conduct productivity improvement exercises, and to disseminate simple productivity techniques to others. The workshop is modelled on the Japanese philosophy where productivity is everyone’s business and not only the responsibility of productivity experts.
Productivity is unlikely to be improved unless it is measured adequately. The workshop will provide sufficient guidance to participants to implement basic methods of measuring productivity and improving labour productivity.
The trainer will be Sunil G. Wijesinha, a well recognised productivity specialist qualified in engineering and accountancy and holds an MBA. He is also qualified as a productivity specialist by the UK Institute of Management Services which is the Europe’s foremost body promoting productivity and techniques of Work Study and Work Measurement.
Wijesinha has successfully introduced techniques of productivity improvement in workplaces to many organisations in Sri Lanka and overseas. He was involved in initiating the National Productivity Year and Decade in Sri Lanka in 1995 when he was working as a consultant to the Ministry of Industrial Development.
His efforts in promoting productivity in Sri Lanka were recognised by the Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) which awarded him the National Award 2000 for his efforts in improving productivity nationally, and the Regional Award 2005 for his contribution to the Asia Pacific Region. Wijesinha, a national expert for the APO has been a resource person and keynote speaker in Asian Countries. He is the pioneer in introducing many techniques such as Quality Circles and 5Sto Sri Lanka.
The workshop will cover the following topics: concepts and misconceptions about productivity, measuring productivity in physical and monetary terms, measuring labour, material, energy and capital productivity, uses of single factor and multifactor productivity measures and calculating value added productivity.
Techniques of labour productivity improvement including improving the working environment-lighting and ventilation, science of tools, using jigs and fixtures, factory layout improvement using string diagrams, workstation layout improvement including principles of motion economy, 5W1H method, flow process and multiple activity charts, using nutrition to improve productivity and reduce accidents, and prioritising the productivity will also be covered.