“Quality is a mindset”
Leoni turning 100: Contemporary witness Siham Touriz on video about “Quality”
“Quality is at the core of everything we do in the Company,” Siham Touriz says. The 39-year old heads the quality management of Leoni’s Wiring Systems Division in Morocco. “So when we are talking about quality we mean not just the end product, but the entire value creation process. This means we are speaking about technology, materials, processes, methods and services.”
It is important to Touriz that the perfectionist aspiration required is not a matter for the quality department or individual facilities alone. “At Leoni, we have a common definition of quality,” she emphasizes, “and that is: Quality is the fulfilment of the requirements of our customers as well as other stakeholders. These include governments, society and our colleagues.” From the Moroccan’s perspective, Leoni stands out by working in comparable ways around the world: whether at a plant in the Americas, Asia, Africa or Europe – identical standards prevail, resulting in the same level of quality.
Particularly the staff members who are the focal point of production in the labour-intensive manufacture of wiring systems are of key significance to Siham Touriz. “You have to change employees’ mindset for quality to ensue. Quality has to be created and produced,” the manager, who has been with Leoni for almost 10 years, emphasizes. She says that, in return, staff at her Morrocan locations receive recognition for excellent performance: “When an assembly worker has done something especially well, we encourage him or her. I thank them for everything about them. The whole management team will go to the staff member and say: “Well done; great job."
Preview: The third contemporary witness interview will be published in June. Jerry Cummins, Head of Asia Region in the Wire & Cable Solutions Division, addresses Leoni’s globalisation, in which he has played a key role.