INTERVIEW WITH THE CORPORATE QHSE MANAGER OF EQS GLOBAL GROUP

To celebrate the World Quality Day, Cristina Ferreira, Corporate QHSE Manager of EQS Global Group, gave an interview where she made some interesting reflections about this issue. To read below.

How important is Quality to the EQS Global Group?
Quality is a mandatory issue in organizations. Our customers are increasingly demanding and selective and, without an adequate quality standard, it is almost impossible to keep them satisfied with the services performed by our Group and, consequently, unlikely to establish a relationship.
The EQS Global Group tries to invest daily in quality because it has the notion that, if it reaches a standard of excellence and meets the needs of our customers, employees, suppliers and other interested parties in the best way possible, it will be possible to keep them happy and motivated, in addition to turning them into ambassadors of our brand.

Considering the pandemic situation we are experiencing, what do you think the role of Quality is being in our organizations? And in the EQS Global Group?
Companies need an environment of stability and predictability. In these times, due to this pandemic situation, the day of tomorrow is unknown, causing an environment of great insecurity and difficulty in making good planning. From one moment to the next, we go from an optimistic scenario of growth, to distrust and recession.
I confess that in the middle of so many uncertainties, I am only sure of one thing: the world is undergoing a transition. There is no turning back, a lot will change and the changes are already happening. A decrease in results will be predicted, so it is crucial to adapt each business to the new context, not least because we can’ t predict when the pandemic crisis ends, much less the economic one that follows it.
A good Quality management system is the key tool for companies that want to overcome this crisis and invest in an effective and competitive management. We must face this situation as a moment to create methods that allow us to differentiate from the competition and strengthen relationships with our customers.
In EQS Global Group we are directing the information we have from our Quality management system to guide Top Management in order to act in a more agile and assertive way, preponderant in times of uncertainty. It is time to align the vision, values and strategy of the Group. It is time to re-evaluate our processes, procedures and redefine objectives, indicators and priorities.
With the scenario we are going through, the whole context of the EQS Global Group has changed. It was therefore necessary to redo the SWOT analysis rethinking internal and external factors, the needs of customers, employees and other stakeholders.
Many risks did not disappear, but there were significant changes in probability, impact and, therefore, mitigation plans had to be reformulated in order to adapt to this new reality.
In the middle of a pandemic, audits have not been forgotten as they play a crucial role in understanding whether our group’s Quality management system continues to work, what adjustments need to be considered and whether good practices in our processes and activities are being properly implemented.

How do you see the role of Quality in the challenge of digital transformation and taking into account the digital tools that EQS Global Group has for you and your customers?
There are three main dimensions to quality: communication, the search for continuous improvement and the use of appropriate technologies. The evolution of quality management depends on the investment in new technologies to control and optimize daily processes and automate some activities.
The development of EQS Global’s digital tools presents not only an opportunity, but a need for us and our customers to adapt to a new industrial reality. This will require a cultural change that will affect the workforce and leadership, feeding factors such as innovation and efficiency of our services, compliance and of course Quality.
In a world of smartphones, tablets and other portable devices, applications have become an integral part of everyday life, both for us as individuals and for businesses. EQS Global Group has been taking advantage of these trends by using applications as important tools to connect with its employees and customers.

In your opinion, what is the future of Quality?
With the advance of Industry 4.0, Quality 4.0 is also already a reality.
Companies must evaluate the context of the organization and the context of the technologies in order to be able to align themselves in the 4.0 industry and so start the process of Quality 4.0.
These days, we tend to act in a reactive way in the Quality Management System, identifying what is not compliant and acting to correct it. However, with the integration of more effective management systems and the use of digital tools in data analysis, we will start to act preventively. We will be able to predict when and how failures will happen and, instead of dealing with the consequences, prevent problems from happening. Welcome to the future!