The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) has signed a technical cooperation agreement with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to promote quality and productivity improvement technologies in South Africa.

This, according to the department, will be done through the implementation of a training programme called Quality and Productivity Improvement (QPI), also known as Kaizen, across the country for the lower tier component suppliers in the automotive value chain, including the steel and metal sectors, across the country.

Kaizen is a hands-on and practical expertise developed through a participatory, learning-by-doing, human-focused and process-oriented approach.

One of the key objectives of the project is to strengthen the competitiveness of the suppliers in the automotive sector, in line with the South African Automotive Masterplan 2035.

The main beneficiaries of the training project are organisations that form part of the dtic's National Quality and Productivity Network (NQPN).

Among these are training institutions and service providers that support business management and skills support for the companies.

The Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Nomalungelo Gina, says the programme's objectives will promote cooperation between management and workers in companies and organisations that assist to improve the quality of services and products.

"The benefits created by the QPI activities should be fairly distributed among management, workers and customers to promote the welfare of people and reduce disparity in society. Creating a functional training delivery system is one of the most critical issues for the success of the project.

"Members should share common values of QPI promotion in South Africa in order to strengthen business competitiveness and create job opportunities," Gina said.

The countrywide training programme will begin in Gauteng on 31 July 2023, with a launch ceremony to be held in Sandton.