Nepal Bayern Electric (NBE), which exports engineering and electronics components to Europe, has been awarded the ISO 9002 and ISO 14001 certification related to quality and environment systems. The audit was conducted by experts from T?V Suddeutscheland of Germany. NBE is among few Nepali companies to get the certification under ISO 14001 norms of International Standard Organisation, Geneva.

The entire certification process of NBE was assisted by DEG of Germany. "DEG's interest in having Nepali companies certified in quality and environment is that trade more than aid is the way to development," says Lochan Gyawali of NBE. DEG is an arm of the German government that gives financial support to viable projects and industries.

Since it was launched in 1993, NBE has been exporting electronic components for use in satellite, automotive, broadband, and other technologies. The company is run by an all-Nepali team, and has a dedicated work force of about 500 women workers besides technical staff including engineers and supervisors. Ruediger Lemp, the German Ambassador to Nepal, in a message calls the certification "a good demonstration of the usefulness of such bilateral joint ventures".

NBE is a German-Nepali joint venture between Wust Gmbh, of Munich and the Narayani Group from Nepal. NBE exports its products to Ireland, Finland and Germany.