Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers' Association (IEEMA), the apex association of electrical equipment manufacturers in India, has announced that the IEEMA SME Quality Awards 2013 (ISQA 2013) will be held in September 2013. SMEs aspiring to stake a claim to the Awards have to submit an 'Intent Of Participation' letter to IEEMA by February 28th, 2013. IEEMA's website www.ieema.org and the ISQA 2013 website www.ieema.org/sme/isqa.htm have additional details about the Awards, the application process and the evaluation process.

SMEs have been classified into three categories, viz., Category A which will have companies with a turnover up to Rs 20 crore, Category B for companies with turnover up to Rs 100 crore and Category C for companies with turnover above Rs 100 crore.

A total of four awards will be given away across each category. The Awards are: IEEMA SME Quality Award; IEEMA SME Quality Prize; IEEMA SME quality commendation and IEEMA SME Quality Certificate.

SMEs providing manufacturing and service enterprises are eligible to apply and will have to submit a valid registration certificate and turnover certificate duly notified by their certified auditor along with the Intent of Participation Letter.

The eligibility criteria for participation are as follows:

1. A company of Indian Origin registered in India
2. Applicant must be a registered organization under Small and Medium Enterprises as defined in MSMED Act of 2006
3. Member of IEEMA or a supplier/vendor of a member of IEEMA. (Members' directory is available under Buyer's Guide on www.ieema.org)
4. An organisation having completed at least three years of existence as on 1st January 2013.

The ISQA committee has created a pool of carefully selected examiners trained adequately in the assessment process to evaluate the applicants. The evaluation criteria are Leadership Commitment to Quality, Customer Focus, System Principles and Personal Learning, Quality management by Facts and Focus on Future.

IEEMA has been successful in raising and maintaining the awareness among its members with regard to quality management systems and furthering its role in the process of encouraging the SMEs in improving their TQM quality initiatives.