While last year attention even greater than regular was paid on safety and health at work in everyday life of the company, this year the field of quality was brought into focus at the 60-year-old ISD DUNAFERR Zrt. Responding to the challenges of buyer’s steel market and the continuous change of customer demands the company management called this year the Year of Quality. Several programs will be organized up to the end of December in order to continue to firm the quality-conscious approach in company managers’ and employees’ thinking. Besides it remains a basic aim also in the future to improve the quality of products and processes and at the same time to increase customer satisfaction.

’60 YEARS FOR QUALITY’ – this is the motto of the series of programs, which is not only a slogan, as Danube Ironworks has been dealing with the issue of quality since it was established. The history of the development of the field serves as a good example of the process, during which the simple ‘ironworks’ has developed to be a company of European standard within a period of six decades. The operation of quality management was characterized by a product-focused approach in the ‘50s and ‘60s, quality assurance principles were specified in the ‘70s and their application in practice was also started. The more and more perfect satisfaction of customer demands became the main issue in the ‘80s, and managers' commitment was highlighted in the '90s. It is necessary to meet customer demands, social and environmental requirements also nowadays. The company got the certificates of internationally acknowledged certifying companies relevant to its products and processes for the meeting of requirements, and the application of quality techniques is a daily practice at the company.

The events of the program series of the Year of Quality follow each other this year, addressing also the partners – both suppliers and customers – besides the managers and employees of the company.

Among other things the brainstorming relevant to quality improvement and the competition titled 'Production plant showing the greatest development' is announced for the employees.

A project titled ‘Specification of quality indicators in the integrated production process of ISD DUNAFERR Zrt.’, which will be finished in December 2011, is also started.

Training and trade days, conferences are also organized during this year, on occasion of which there will be a chance to present the results of the high level R&D activity realized in the field of quality management.

A series of trade articles will be published in the weekly newspaper of the Company, which aims at presenting the most important information relevant to quality management for those interested in a form that is clear for everybody.

The Company also takes part in an external quality tender, the title of which is ‘Commitment for excellence’.

The series of programs will end by a closing meeting on 15 December 2010, on occasion of which the overall year will be assessed and the awards will be given out too.

Valeriy Naumenko, CEO also took part at the opening meeting of the Year of Quality program series, highlighting that the management of the Company works in a committed way to realize the above aims.

— ‘Nowadays, when there is steel overproduction in the world and the market is typically the buyers' market, and the prime cost of production is more and more balanced within the range of European producers, we have two possibilities to keep and increase competitiveness. One is to expand related services and the other is to develop quality on a continuous basis. If there are problems with the quality of a product, the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of the overall production process can be questioned. However ISD DUNAFERR Zrt. has made significant steps on the way of quality also up to now by regulating its operation, realizing investments aiming at quality improvement, getting of various system and product certificates - but this is not enough in itself. We have to develop continuously, therefore I am sure that the Year of Quality is organized on a high professional standard at the Company, and later we will have a chance to make use of the economic advantages of our commitment too' — the CEO told.