THE minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Anthony Hylton is urging micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to seek international standard certification so that they can be competitive in the global marketplace.

He made the remarks during the presentation of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 9001: 2008 Certificate to AMG Packaging and Paper Company during a tour of the company’s production facilities in Kingston on Tuesday.

He noted that Jamaican businesses must become internationally certified if they hope to grow and operate sustainably.

“One of the missing ingredients for growth of businesses in Jamaica and for growth of the national economy has been standards,” the minister stated.

AMG Packaging and Paper Company have been certified to ISO 9001 standard by the National Certification Body of Jamaica (NCBJ), which is the independent certification unit of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ).

It is the second largest packaging company in Jamaica and is the second packaging company to be certified by the NCBJ, to ISO 9001 Standard.

This means the company now has a management system that is internationally recognised, and can rival other packaging companies anywhere in the world.

In addition, Mr Hylton commented that with the advent of the Logistics Hub, businesses should make preparations for the opportunities that the hub will generate.

“Increasingly, for this economy to survive and to grow it must be open (and) because the economy is being increasingly (open to international trade) you have to embrace standards… if you are to successfully sell (your) products and services in the marketplace which is both local and foreign,” he said

He added that with the need for more Jamaican companies to become more internationally competitive, the ISO 9001 certification is essential in order for the country’s trading partners to have confidence in the goods and services that are provided.

For her part, manager of the National Certification Body of Jamaica, Jacqueline Scott-Brown, expressed the hope that other MSMEs will follow suit in pursuing and achieving international certification through the NCBJ.

“We are proud of the company’s achievement, this being our second ISO 9001:2008 certification for a packaging company,” she said.

The ISO is an independent, non-governmental membership organisation and is the world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards.

The organisation is comprised of 163 member countries that are the standard bodies worldwide, with a central secretariat located in Geneva, Switzerland. The function of the ISO is to give specifications to products, services and systems on how to achieve optimal quality, safety and efficiency in their activities.