PROJECT DESCRIPTION

PUMP aimed at improving the competitiveness of the Palestinian private sector and to encourage the creation of “quality” jobs by industrial modernisation and upgrade of Palestinian industrial SMEs through building their capability and capacity.

ICON’s expert team supported the SMEs though providing the incentive or motivation to move them to the next stage of its development. Different activities were delivered to 65 Palestinian SMEs, the majority being in quality and productivity. For SMEs gaining certification and introducing ICT system such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) were crucial for their upgrading and modernisation. Another benefit of PUMP participation, was that it allowed company owners to confront the perceived conservatism of family ownership, often restricting SMEs from modernisation or entering new markets through a reluctance to make a financial and/ or management commitment. The SMEs got the ability to conduct quality control actions ‘in house’ significantly reducing the time involved with ‘quality checks’. Packaging and labelling development became evident from the SME diagnostics and from ‘events’ emerging from several PUMP activities. Through improved quality and certifications SMEs are now able to enter new ‘export’ markets and/ or extending their presence in Palestinian markets. Thanks to ICON’s support, the Palestinian Federation of Paper & Packaging Industries has been welcomed into the World Packaging Organisation during its Board meeting in Bali in 2019. Further information can be found under https://de-de.facebook.com/pump.palestine/.

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