We recognise that people are the most important asset of a service-oriented organisation like EMSTF. Investing in staff training, and empowering them to improve processes and solve problems, is a top priority of EMSTF.

EMSTF staff receive professional training covering virtually all aspects of the business, including everything from general management skills to specific courses designed to update the staff on specialised engineering systems, such as postal mechanisation equipment, medical pipe gas system, medical electronics equipment and LPG vehicles. Training courses were also arranged on financial management and quality assurance to increase overall staff and organisation competitiveness.

Internal communication is critical to motivating, empowering and training staff. Work Improvement Teams were established to enhance productivity and service quality. These teams are based on an open-communication policy between managers and staff and designed to bring about free-flowing exchanges of ideas that ultimately lead to more efficient operations throughout the organisation. During the reporting period, 11 suggestions were made and adopted resulting in substantial saving in government spending.

EMSTF has taken employee communication to new levels through the Staff Suggestion Scheme. Staff have been given an added incentive in the form of prize money to share innovative ideas with management. More than HK $60,000 was granted in 1996/97 and a total of 23 good ideas was received.

Quality

EMSTF has adopted the ISO 9000 quality management system as part of our effort to ensure conformance to quality standards and to satisfy customer requirements.

A second ISO 9002 certification was awarded to EMSTF in January 1997 to the Quality and Methods Sub-division. The Medical Procurement Sub-division was the first business unit which obtained the ISO 9002 certification in June 1995. It is our target is to have every trading services operation ISO 9000 certified by 1999.