CISA examines European markets, quality.

CISA Examines European Markets, Quality

The 1990 CISA Summer Meeting was held July 19-22, at the Oak Brook Hills Resort in Oak Brook, IL. The CISA program committee put together another excellent program with highly qualified speakers addressing specific areas of concern to member companies: Economic Forecasting, White Collar Quality and Selling to Eastern Europe.

Forecast

Friday's luncheon speaker, Richard S. Peterson, senior vice president and economist of Continental Illinois National Bank, spoke on "Economic Forecasts." Peterson portrayed the state of the metals industry in a slow but steady growth stage after recovering from a "soft recession" in '89-90. Indications are that '92 and beyond hold a strong steady growth for the economy across the board.

The Quality Issue

A. Steven Hatch, account manager, Philip Crosby Assoc, Inc. spoke on the importance of understanding the entire quality issue from a white collar standpoint. Upper management needs to dedicate their efforts to the problem areas before a successful quality program can be implemented. Many quality programs have been destined for failure at the onset because management was not serious about their quality program. "There are numerous benefits to be reaped from a successfully managed quality program: customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, increased safety and improved employee morale in addition to reduced costs," said Hatch. "Quality is simply conformance to requirements and there will always be a price to pay for non-conformance as well as conformance," Hatch stated. Once a program is running successfully, overall costs should decrease.

There is a need for all employees to thoroughly understand their roles and be willing to share this knowledge in order to launch and maintain a quality program. Normal start-up times for a quality program to be fully functional is approximately two years. Successful quality programs need a specific plan that demands conformance, requires all levels of employee involvement and gives "permission" to do a job right the first time.

Central European Markets

Miklos Radvanyi, president, Radvanyi and Assoc, Inc, spoke on the considerations in selling to Central Eastern Europe. "The markets appear to be wide open now," but Radvanyi cautioned, "these are complex markets." The Central European economies are bankrupt in general but the businesses have money to spend. He urged that those companies interested in establishing business in this region utilize market research companies to identify markets and their demands. Secondly, have an understanding of the company's economy and then get involved in your area of expertise. He suggested developing a trustful

involvement with the regional business people and establishing a foothold now, while looking ahead to 1991-92 when these businesses will grow.

Overall, the CISA summer meeting reflected the health of the organization and the industry. Over the past two and one half years CISA membership has grown from 46 to 65 member companies. Expanding our markets and improving quality are only a few of the ways to promote this growth.

PHOTO : CISA President, Jerry Agin, (l) thanks speaker, Richard Peterson, Continental Illinois National Bank for his presentation on "Economic Forecasts."

PHOTO : Miklos Radvanyi, Radvanyi & Assoc, Inc, spoke on the points to be considered when working in the European Marketplace.

PHOTO : Steven Hatch, Philip Crosby Assoc, Inc, stressed the importance of management involvement in implementing a successful quality program.