Voltas wins honours at the Dubai Quality Awards (DQA) 2010

On 5th April, Shaukat Ali Mir (EVP & COO of Voltas' Electro-Mechanical Division) formally accepted the "Dubai Quality Appreciation Programme Award" from the hands of the Crown Prince of Dubai, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in the presence of UAE Prime Minister and Dubai's ruler HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, at a glittering ceremony at Dubai's Grand Hyatt. The award is for the Construction sector, and is part of the 2010 cycle of the much-awaited Dubai Quality Awards.

The accolade was won by Voltas' Electro-Mechanical Division (EMD), its overseas arm, which specialises in MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Public Health) projects in construction and infrastructure, usually of high value, visibility, scale and complexity. In the words of Shaukat Ali Mir, "The quality of our work and capabilities has always been evident from our iconic projects, such as the Burj Khalifa, Ferrari World, Mall of the Emirates and many others. These are there for all to see. Now, by winning the DQA, Voltas decisively proves that it internally has the enduring strengths of processes, people, partnerships and resources, with which it can sustain that level of achievement."

The Award is based on the Excellence Model of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), which has striking points of similarity with the Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM) criteria and evaluation methodology. However, DQA places extra emphasis on partnerships and resources, as well as societal results. Judging is confined to operations in UAE, and is carried out by assessors from local industry, selected and trained by Dubai's Department of Economic Development, which is chaired by Sheikh Mohammed.

The framework used is EFQM's RADAR (Results - Approach - Deployment - Assessment - Review), which relies on documentary evidence and formula-based analysis to enhance objectivity in assessment. Scores are awarded in nine categories: 10% each for Leadership | People | Strategy | Partnerships & Resources | Process, Products & Services | People Results and | Society Results; and 15% each for Customer Results and Key Results.

It's an award that Voltas can proudly flaunt for the next three years: a stamp of appreciation as laudable as the Middle East MEP awards, which Voltas EMD has already won twice in several categories. In 2010, the awards were 'Overall GCC Project of the Year' for the newly-completed Ferrari World, "Middle East MEP Contractor of the Year', and "Project Manager of the Year'; while in 2008, they were for 'Health & Safety' as well as 'Project Manager of the Year'.