A Star Is Born

"Fortune befriends the bold." That line from 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson reflects aptly the APO's venture in promoting certification and accreditation schemes after three years of tenacious efforts.

The Asian Productivity Organization Accreditation Body (APO-AB) had a proud moment with the inaugural accreditations of two well-deserving, National Productivity Organization (NPO)-guided certification bodies (CBs) in September 2021: the Malaysia Productivity Corporation Certification Body (MPC-CB) and Vietnam Productivity Specialist Certification Body (ViProCB). Both received certification in the Productivity Specialists Certification Scheme. The journey by the MPC-CB is featured below.

"This is truly a glorious moment for the MPC as it marks a new milestone in its journey to drive national productivity," stated MCP-CB Head of Certification Datin Zainon Bakar. While appreciating the APO-AB and APO for accrediting the MPC as the first NPO recognized as a CB for the Productivity Specialists Scheme, she extended her appreciation to the MPC-CB team for making it a reality.

The MPC's CB development project that began at the end of 2019 was officially completed with accreditation by the APO-AB on 24 September 2021. Datin Zainon believed that, "This recognition gives the MPC the opportunity to leverage its role and image as the leading organization for productivity improvement in Malaysia." The MPC-CB will recognize more productivity specialists in the future and expand the certification scheme, resulting in a systematic setup for the APO's productivity certification program.

MPC-CB Head of Certification, Datin Zainon Bakar.

Aiming to be the reference CB on productivity-related certification schemes in Malaysia and among APO members in the future, the MPC-CB will promote its services in certifying the competency of highly skilled productivity specialists. "The MPC-CB will uphold the highest integrity in ensuring that the professionalism, competency, impartiality, and transparency of its services are maintained at all times," added Datin Zainon.

MPC Director General Dato' Abdul Latif Bin Haji Abu Seman agreed that, "24 September 2021 marks a significant milestone when the MPC-CB received a certificate of accreditation as a Certification Body for the Productivity Specialists Scheme from the APO-AB." He extended gratitude to APO Secretary-General Dr. AKP Mochtan and thanked the APO-AB Council for its support for and confidence in the MPC in becoming an accredited APO-CB. Director General Dato' Abdul Latif pledged that with this accreditation, the MPC-CB would intensify promotional activities to encourage more recognized productivity experts to be certified by the MPC-CB. The MPC Director General was confident that the productivity experts recognized by the MPC-CB would contribute meaningfully to the improvement of productivity and quality among its many clients, including public community bodies, private enterprises, the industrial sector, and government agencies.

MPC Director General Dato' Abdul Latif Bin Haji Abu Seman