URL: http://www.ucbp-ethiopia.com/e2154/e2162/index_eng.html

A talk with Orbit Engineering General Manager, Ato Bekatu

Orbit Engineering, one of the General Contracting companies responsible for the UCBP Dese site, is a 13 year old company, but it’s name was changed to Orbit Engineering just three years ago. This Grade 3 company has 25 permanent employees. It’s one of the 19 UCBP companies who have applied to become ISO certified in November 2007. We caught up with Ato Bekatu to talk to him about the ISO certification process and here’s what he had to say….

This is the first time that Ethiopian construction sector companies are applying for ISO certification. How do you feel about being part of this new group of companies?
Many people are familiar with the ISO certification. However, few recognize how ISO certification in the construction sector is different than certification for manufacturer exporters, such as factories that produce beverages. For the construction sector, the key to achieving quality lies in the quality of the management, which demands continuous improvement. The construction sector is all about service, it’s human. Furthermore, a construction company works in many locations, not just in the head office or factory.

Can you tell me a little about the ISO certification process in your company?
The ISO process takes at least one year. Core processes are being changed, such as the purchasing process, bid process…etc. All of these processes follow clearly defined ISO regulations, with clearly specified steps and documentation procedures along the way. The challenging part is the implementation part because it requires changing peoples’ outlooks. Many employees, especially the senior staff members, are unwilling to change themselves and they’re unwilling to change the control and management methods they use. During this change process, my priority is to train and build the capacity of my employees, especially the younger ones.

How do you expect ISO certification to change your company?
I’m more interested in the improvements brought to the company during this change process rather than the ISO certificate itself. The ISO certificate won’t really be effective until a critical number of construction companies in the country also have certificates. When that happens, being ISO certified will be an advantage during the bidding process if the project owner stipulates only ISO companies.

For now, Orbit Engineering is focused on its business processes and trying to improve its services. It’s the first time that the company is engaged in a clear change process that is controlled and audited. For the final ISO certification in November 2007, the auditors will monitor how the company works and take sample tests and conduct interviews at headquarters as well as at the different project sites. They will be checking the formats and the processes.

What is the biggest challenge that Ethiopia’s construction sector faces today?
The way companies are managed here must first be changed. The bottleneck for company growth is really management capacity. If a group of able managers can manage a company together, instead of just one man, then the company has a better chance for sustained success. When I look around, I see mostly one-person companies. That limits growth.