FIBRE Tech Industrial Plastics on Tuesday received the ‘Made in Guyana Certification Mark’ issued by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), representing the first local company to be granted such recognition. 

           Proprietor Somat Ali has never stopped working towards improving the quality of his fiberglass products since he formed the company in 1993. An ardent believer in achieving every level of certification possible, he is encouraging other businesses to get on board the GNBS certification programme. 

           The Certification Mark was unveiled by First Lady Arya Ali at the National Quality Awards

Ceremony in October 2021. Before this, multiple businesses had expressed their interest in a programme that could provide a mark to differentiate their products on the basis of quality and other requirements.

           The new Certification Programme, which became active last January, provides a framework for the development of quality systems to enhance local content and push Guyanese businesses to the forefront of quality on a national, regional, and international level. 

           “By this mark, Guyanese consumers can be assured that when they buy ‘Made in Guyana’ products, they are supporting the Guyanese industry, ultimately contributing in a tangible and significant manner to Guyanese development,” Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Oneidge Walrond has pointed out.  

           Minister Walrond was speaking at a simple ceremony to hand over the Certification Mark at the company’s Triumph, Agriculture Road, East Coast Demerara location. She was joined by GNBS Executive Director (Acting) Ramrattie Karan, First Vice President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) Ramsey Ali, and other representatives.

“We see this mark eventually contributing to international competitiveness for authentic Guyanese products,” Walrond shared, adding, “The GMSA approached the GNBS to develop the mark and worked with the Bureau throughout the process to make it a reality. As pioneers of this project, I encourage the GMSA to get all its members on board.”

She also took the opportunity to urge the Regional Chambers of Commerce, the Private Sector Commission, and others, to champion the programme so that the ‘Made in Guyana Mark’ can become a prominent feature on all of the country’s products.

Ramsey Ali, who is also Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Products Limited, agreed with Minister Walrond’s call and noted that GMSA will support the process in terms of encouraging its membership to get on board.  

In offering congratulatory remarks on behalf of the GMSA, he recalled a time when some businesses were not too enthused at the idea of letting others know where their products were made. “People in the Caribbean and the rest of the world have to recognize that we can certify things in this country. Years ago I know people didn’t really want others to know where their products were made. This is a sad thing. Today, we are proud when things are made in Guyana because we are recognized for good quality products.” 

Proprietor Ali told Guyana Chronicle that the certification means a lot to him, especially as it took his company years to achieve the GNBS certification. “They had to determine a standard, go internationally to find one for fiberglass and then adopt it locally. While we’re at it, we might as well keep going; we have plans to pursue our ISO Certification.”

The GNBS certificate, he noted, had boosted the company’s sales by over 20 percent. “People want to see a certification mark and on top of it, we have a full year’s warranty on our products. We try not only to maintain international standards but to surpass them.”

Ali, who has been in the industry for some five decades, said he has always kept a focus on improving the quality of his products. “We never stopped trying to improve our quality. We refuse to compromise on it,” he offered. 

The company, which sees the likes of kitchen and bathroom sinks, toilet bowl tanks and covers, and bathtubs, has pioneered the kitchen cupboard business in fibreglass.

Meanwhile, the Made in Guyana Programme is voluntary and open to applications from all manufacturers and producers of local products regardless of size or product type. Under the programme, only products meeting the established criteria as outlined by the GNBS will be certified to use the Mark.

In terms of criteria, GNBS said products will be certified based on the quantity of local raw materials used in their production and the number of Guyanese staff employed by establishment (at least 70%). While companies are allowed to import 80 percent of their raw materials, the products must be assembled or processed in Guyana.

The period of certification is one year; surveillances and renewal of assessment will be conducted during the certification period to ensure continued conformance to the established criteria.