World Quality Day 2026: How quality drives success

12 November 2026

How can quality help power performance? That is what November 12’s World Quality Day 2026, part of the global World Quality Week organized by the Chartered Quality Institute, asks us to explore. In this article, Maria Karlman, Head of Quality and Sustainability at Kiwa Sweden, explains how our focus on quality enables us to deliver consistent performance for our customers, as well as fueling collaboration, innovation, and a culture of continuous improvement.

When every action needs to be perfect

The theme for this year’s World Quality Week is ‘Quality: powering performance’. But what does quality look like in practice, and how does it really affect how organizations perform? Maria uses the shutdown of a large industrial plant as an example. “When it comes to a plant turnaround, or a period of scheduled inspection, maintenance and repair, much is at stake in terms of time and cost” she says. ‘That’s why every single action needs to be absolutely perfect.”

Depending on the size of the plant, between 20 and 100 Kiwa and partner inspectors may work on site for several weeks, working in limited time slots.
“Everything needs to be planned to the minute and execution needs to be faultless”, she explains. “Some actions can only be done at specific moments during the shutdown process, and if there are any mistakes causing an extended shutdown, that will have major financial implications. There is no option to say: ‘I can do it better tomorrow’.”

Quality is not just economically vital, it’s also essential for safety. Shutdowns involve radiation work, high‑risk inspections and coordination between many teams.

If something is done at the wrong moment, or in the wrong place, it can be dangerous. Quality and safety go hand in hand.

Maria Karlman

Head of Quality and Sustainability at Kiwa Sweden

“In the example of an industrial plant, quality touches so much of what we do”, says Maria. “It impacts our planning, our work and our relationships with customers. It affects the financial and operational performance of a large plant. And it keeps our people, the most important part of our whole organization, safe. Technical competence, efficient logistical coordination, teamwork and applying safety principles without fail all come under the umbrella of quality management. Taking this seriously enables us to power performance as best we can.”

Four ways quality helps us go further

With her extensive industry experience, Maria has seen first‑hand how quality can be used to power performance across an organization. She highlights four core themes that show how quality drives value for Kiwa, its customers and society at large.

1. Quality powers performance

The conversation around quality often focuses on reducing mistakes. Another angle on this is that effective quality systems can also elevate performance. “If we have better processes and better system support, it becomes easier to do the job right”, says Maria. “You do not need to think about which instrument to choose or which equipment is correct. A good quality system guides you.”

The result is reduced rework, improved consistency and better decision‑making in the interest of customers. “If we can deliver more precise inspections or more reliable certification, customers get better documentation about what they need. That helps them plan maintenance, avoid breakdowns and reduce risk.”

Quality supports operational effectiveness, too. “We often find problems in buildings or equipment because we are meticulous. If we have a good system for reporting and improving, that impacts both quality and performance.”

Performance measures play a key role. Maria highlights compliance, non‑conformities, complaints, internal audits and improvement suggestions as important indicators. “We try to focus on improvements and suggestions. That is how we power performance.”

2. Quality fosters collaboration

Kiwa operates in more than 40 countries with over 12,000 employees. When it comes to nurturing collaboration across our global teams, quality becomes the shared language. “We work closely with colleagues and specialists across Kiwa’s international network, which helps us share expertise, align our approaches and continuously strengthen our knowledge”, says Maria.

“We visit different offices in Sweden to see how they work and gather positive examples. Then we implement them in the rest of the company. That is collaboration, and it is quality powering performance.”

3. Quality influences innovation

Innovation is exciting, but not without risk. From managing data effectively to ensuring safe AI adoption, strong quality methods ensure that innovation is trustworthy. “We are always trying new techniques”, says Maria. “This includes new digital tools and services, inspection drones and various AI tools. As we develop these things, we need to ensure they are introduced in a controlled and reliable way. Whatever we deliver needs to be trustworthy. Trust is our currency, and quality is a major component of it.”

Risk analysis is central to quality assurance, especially when it comes to innovation. “If we want to innovate, we need to follow the right steps. When additional accreditation, expertise or technical knowledge is required, we work with the relevant specialists to ensure we can continue to meet our clients’ needs. Quality lets us embrace innovation with control and respect.”

4. Quality demands continuous improvement

Quality is not just in the hands of quality assurance officers and quality managers. “It is something that needs to be owned by the whole organization”, says Maria. “Everyone needs to know what to do and how to improve.”

This need for shared ownership makes fostering a culture of quality vital. “It is important to have an open climate where people can suggest things. You must be allowed to try new things and explore different avenues. Internal audits help us see what works well and what can be improved. That is quality.” From here, it’s also about our improvement mechanisms: “We gather suggestions from offices across Sweden. We try to see what they do well and implement it everywhere else. That is powering performance.”

Continuous improvement also extends to customers. “With good certification and good performance, we help customers see their own business and find improvements. That is good for society.”

Powering performance, together

Quality is the foundation of our business. It needs to shape the way we work, the decisions we make, the innovations we undertake and the performance we aim for. The theme of World Quality Week 2026, Quality: Powering Performance, is a reminder that Kiwa’s goal is to harness quality in order to help people, processes and technology work together to deliver trust across a range of industries.

“If I could give colleagues one message for World Quality Day”, says Maria, “it is that quality enables success. It helps us deliver value for ourselves, for our customers, and for society. Without quality, we could not be where we want to be.”