THE executive chairman of multi-sectoral group Ohlthaver & List, Sven Thieme, yesterday said during these times of economic challenges, there is a need for organisations and businesses to be innovative and do things differently.
Thieme was speaking at newspaper’s networking event on current economic challenges held at a Windhoek hotel where he said things change every day, and service providers need constant innovation.
He said in order to get an innovation breakthrough, companies need to first analyse what they are currently doing.
“Our meetings always start with how are we currently doing it and how can we improve it,” he said.
“Sometimes we assume we know what we are doing but we do not know,” he said emphasising the importance of trying new ways of doing things.
Theime advised organisations to keep constant communication with employees and not only do so when there is a crisis.
“Let us not start changing when there is a crisis. Let us change all the time,” he said, adding that constant change can for example lift the profit margins from 20% to 30%.
Thieme called for support of Namibian companies. Last month, local company Dinapama Manufacturing and Supplies struck a deal to supply O&L, one of the country’s biggest companies, with employee uniforms.
Ohlthaver & List at the time said they signed the agreement all “in support of and celebrating local value addition”.
Answering a question what one can do when they want to support local companies but the quality is poor, Theime said: “I would find a way to talk to the person and tell them about their product quality,” he said.
He said if one cared about a company, they would tell them they would like to support them, but the quality of their goods is not too good.
He said Namibians have a responsibility to do something about local products as far as quality is concerned.
He cited the O&L deal with Dinapama as one where they still have to sit and discuss issues.
“Every cent spent on an import is a job being exported out of the country. Every raw material that is going out of the country, is a job going out,” he said.
The general manager of The Namibian, Sieggie Mujoro, said given the current economic situation, one needs to go a gear up to market their products and advertising is one good way of doing so.
