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OPPO Reno 7: OPPO’s End-to-End Quality Assurance Promise

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OPPO Reno 7: OPPO’s End-to-End Quality Assurance Promise

OPPO Reno 7: OPPO’s End-to-End Quality Assurance Promise

 

 

 

 

Many factors influence a consumer’s decision to purchase a smartphone: the number of smart high-tech features, the phone’s stylish design, or its compact size.

 

 

 

 

However, if there is one element that can completely turn someone into a loyal fan of a brand, it has to be product quality. With tens of millions of users around the world, OPPO has built its reputation on strict end-to-end quality controls, covering everything from design and manufacturing to quality inspection and after-sales services. These processes are based on a relentless pursuit of attaining the high quality in both product and service, ultimately giving users comprehensive assurance when purchasing a product.

 

 

 

OPPO Reno 7: OPPO’s End-to-End Quality Assurance Promise

 

 

 

Excellent quality begins with excellent manufacturing

Selecting the world’s top suppliers to guarantee quality from the ground up

OPPO has been actively working with suppliers throughout the industry to create a wide ecosystem of partners. To supply the components that make up the smartphones, OPPO works with many leaders in their respective fields. Take the screen module for example: OPPO partners with Samsung Electronics, Japan Display Inc (JDI), BOE, Tianma Microelectronics, and other manufacturers known for producing top-quality displays and components. OPPO has been working closely with renowned glass suppliers such as Corning and SCHOTT to produce protective screen glass. By partnering with the top suppliers, OPPO is able to manufacture the precisely customized, high-quality components needed to ensure the quality of its end products from the most fundamental level.

 

Dedicated production lines/factories guarantee the highest standards

To further guarantee the quality of products that come off the production line, OPPO works with its partners to establish dedicated support teams, specialized production lines, and even specialized factories exclusively for OPPO. All components destined for use in OPPO products must be produced in these facilities, which are maintained to the highest standards in the industry. Every worker must undergo OPPO’s extensive pre-work training, including familiarization with OPPO technical documents, and having OPPO technical requirements embedded into the facility’s internal manufacturing processes. Design specifications and quality control procedures are taught to staff, and all production lines are operated by OPPO’s high standard.

 

 

 

Strict production environments also demonstrate OPPO’s precise control over the production line: OPPO requires its suppliers to construct highly intelligent production lines capable of standardized production. Each production line must be strictly certified and monitored, and every item is given a unique ID number to ensure that each tiny procedure can be traced back through the entire production process. When manufacturing smartphone displays for example, all displays are assembled in a Class 1000 dust-free cleanroom that meets more than 270 specifications to ensure standardized production. The production of each component is strictly controlled within fixed specifications to guarantee that every mobile phone provides the same flawless quality.

 

 

Rigorous process controls

Even if a smartphone is manufactured according to rigorous production methods, the device needs to be tested before it reaches the market. All OPPO products are required to pass quality and reliability verification on their components, production lines and complete devices. Further to this, independent quality controls are carried out across the entire manufacturing process, including pre- and post-assembly, installation, and completed device stages. If a potential quality risk is detected at any point, OPPO will reject the device, send it back to the manufacturing stage, and solve the underlying issue. Aside from checks performed during manufacturing, engineers and technical experts also conduct five rounds of comprehensive quality assessments and reviews. These include evaluations during products planning, design, development, and verification. If a smartphone fails during any round, it is not allowed onto the market.

 

Innovation based on assured quality

As a famous saying at OPPO goes “product quality comes from good design”. Part of the role of OPPO’s R&D personnel involves taking specific user needs and transforming them into higher quality user experiences through tailored product design. Good product design is more than just appearances – it requires guaranteeing that every feature and every aspect of the device delivers on its promise to users.

Dedicated designs make every promise a reality

Production feasibility needs to be taken into account from the very outset if design innovations are to perform as intended. OPPO product designers therefore need to create clear and detailed product blueprints with enough information for factory workers to understand and follow accurately. This requires product designers to think ahead during the product planning stage to consider problems that might be encountered during production and manufacturing, and then come up with detailed solutions before the designs are put into production.

 

Practical and durable process innovation

Not every imaginative design idea makes its way onto the smartphones. OPPO takes a very cautious approach to commercializing new designs. A novel design requires hundreds, or even thousands of trials, including material selection, testing of the manufacturing process, quality verification, or months of technical testing before it is brought to consumers on a finished smartphone.

 

Take the new Reno7 Sunset Orange for example. In order to give the back cover of the phone an expressive textured effect that also feels smooth in the user’s hand, OPPO designers examined thousands of different textures. Eventually, the team of designers narrowed down thousands of potential materials to just six options. Further market research on these six textures finally led to the selection of a lychee grain leather texture, chosen for its suitable thickness and natural, skin-friendly touch.

 

The designers then came across another new challenge when attempting to bring the exact textural effect to the back cover of the smartphone. To solve this, OPPO devised its own innovative Fiberglass-Leather made up of a synthetic leather material and a plate combined into one integrated piece designed to perfectly fit the shape of the phone. Compared with traditional leather covering processes, the Fiberglass-Leather design introduces a “frameless battery cover”, meaning that no plastic mid-frame support is required. This new leather and fiberglass construction results in a lighter, thinner, and more integrated back cover without compromising on practicality and durability.

 

 

Such innovations in design require further exploration in new applications of technologies and materials. To bring the appearance of high-quality leather to the Reno7 series, OPPO tested and modified ten different polyurethane materials and six bridging layers, and made five modifications to the glass fiber epoxy resin. To ensure the material could withstand up to 100°C heat and 1.5mPa of pressure for 4 hours during the manufacturing process, OPPO engineers strengthened the temperature resistance of the leather polyurethane material to 190°C and increase its tensile strength to 20mPa, ensuring that the material’s appearance did not warp during production. Together, these steps make it possible for the leather back cover to be mass produced at the desired level of quality.

 

Stringent testing of every detail

After the design and manufacture stages, more testing is required to fully guarantee that the finished product meets OPPO’s high standards before it arrives on the market.

 

Global test centers provide professional quality assessment

OPPO has established quality testing centers in China, India, and Indonesia, a professional quality team made up of hundreds of engineers and technical experts. OPPO’s quality laboratory has even been accredited by authorities such as the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment. In these quality testing centers, products need to pass more than 130 ultra-rigorous reliability tests, 320 experimental tests, and 6 major tests before they are ready for the next stage.

 

 

Comprehensive general testing goes beyond industry standards

OPPO products are only deemed fit for consumers if they have successfully passed a series of rigorous quality tests. These cover all day-to-day usage scenarios that the phone is likely to come across, including waterproofing tests, temperature and humidity tests, drop tests, RF tests, audio tests, radiation tests, battery tests, button pressing tests, plugging tests, twisting tests, light aging tests, cosmetics tests, extreme environment tests, clothing tests, and many more. To guarantee the same high quality for users around the world, some of these tests have much higher requirements than the industry average. For example, the drop test, which simulates a typical free-fall scenario from various heights, was set at a height of 1 meter for OPPO phones against an industry average of 0.8 meters. These comprehensive, demanding tests ensure OPPO devices can be used as expected in both regular and extreme environments.

 

 

Specific tests for special quality control

Apart from tests designed to ensure regular performance and functionality, OPPO also conducts specific tests to ensure the durability and practicality of innovative features or design elements. For instance, the Fiberglass-Leather on Reno7 Sunset Orange has been subjected to extreme lab tests involving rubbing the material with an alcohol-soaked pad, a rubber eraser, and a denim swatch over 5,000, 10,000, and 200,000 times respectively. By simulating daily wear and tear in this way, OPPO ensure that its innovative designs are durable and resistant enough to meet its high standards.

 

 

This same insistence on excellence can also be found in the high level of quality control around design details. The Orbit Light, which surrounds or embedded in the camera module on certain smartphone models, OPPO conducted over twenty uniform light scheme adjustments, thousands of uniform light detection tests, and other special tests. In the standard test environment (25°C, 60% humidity, 10mAh), the lifespan of the Orbit Light was shown to reach over 50,000 hours. Through these special quality control tests, OPPO can ensure that even the smallest of innovations deliver a reliable, fault-free experience.

 

 

Quality assurance from start to finish

To deal with issues caused by minor accidents during daily use, OPPO has established professional and friendly after-sales teams worldwide to provide services to every OPPO user, making up the final link in OPPO’s end-to-end quality assurance.

 

Following the opening of the first service center in Lagos Nigeria, OPPO began to rapidly rollout more centers nationwide. As of 2021, OPPO has established more than after-sales centers in Nigeria and regions such as Lagos, Abuja, Porthacourt, Ibadan, together, more than 100 customer service representatives work in these service centers.

 

 

 

Through these after-sales service centers, OPPO has built up a high-quality service model based on its Care & Reach philosophy. Through Care & Reach, OPPO brings customers industry-leading after-sales services based on three core values: Friendly Service, Professional Service, and Inspiring Service. For example, OPPO has introduced “1 Hour Flash Fix”and “Send-in Repair services”, making it possible for users to have their smartphones repaired quickly and efficiently. At the same time, these user-friendly services enable OPPO technical engineers to improve their troubleshooting skills and efficiency, helping them to provide faster, more convenient, and more professional services at all times.

 

 

Product quality can be very difficult to prove when it comes to complex devices such as smartphones. It is not until something goes wrong that an individual starts to question its quality. Therefore, OPPO bases its quality standard not on the results of factory testing but on direct feedback from the market. This includes things such as the maintenance rate for a certain device, and the product withdrawal rate.

 

Thanks to OPPO’s high quality requirements and rigorous quality control, failure rates for OPPO products available on the market are far below those of the industry average. For example, the failure rate from water damage is far lower than the industry average; products are also less likely to result in severe damage after being dropped and are more reliable when used in very humid climates or other extreme environments. Building upon this success, OPPO will continue to make quality a cornerstone of its commitment to consumers, bringing users reliable products and high-quality services through its end-to-end quality assurance program.

Business

PRESIDENT TINUBU CONGRATULATES DR ADEDUNTAN, AS FIRST BANK CELEBRATES EX-GROUP CEO

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PRESIDENT TINUBU CONGRATULATES DR ADEDUNTAN, AS FIRST BANK CELEBRATES EX-GROUP CEO

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

PRESIDENT TINUBU CONGRATULATES DR ADEDUNTAN, AS FIRST BANK CELEBRATES EX-GROUP CEO

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu congratulates Dr Adesola Adeduntan, the retired Group Chief Executive Officer of First Bank Nigeria Limited, for his exceptional service at Nigeria’s oldest bank.

In celebration of Adeduntan’s remarkable tenure, the 130-year-old First Bank will host a special send-off ceremony this weekend, expressing gratitude for his contributions over the past nine years.

President Tinubu commends him for steering the bank through transformative growth, which includes expanding customer accounts from 10 million to over 42 million and elevating Profit Before Tax from N10 billion in 2015 to an impressive N300 billion in 2023.

These milestones, the President said, reflected Adeduntan’s visionary leadership and commitment to excellence.

The President expresses his appreciation for Adeduntan’s willingness to serve the nation in various pivotal roles, including his contributions to the Nigerian Economic Summit Group and other prominent institutions. His extensive expertise in the financial sector has significantly bolstered Nigeria’s economic landscape.

President Tinubu also lauds the bank’s solid internal management ethos, which is responsible for the seamless transition from Adeduntan to the current CEO, Olusegun Alebiosu.

President Tinubu wishes Dr. Adeduntan continued success in all his future endeavors.

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President

(Information & Strategy)

November 1, 2024

 

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Bank

ZENITH BANK DELIVERS REMARKABLE TRIPPLE-DIGIT GROWTH IN GROSS EARNINGS AS PBT HITS N1.0 TRILLION IN Q3 2024  

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Zenith Bank Enhances E-Channel Services for Customers

ZENITH BANK DELIVERS REMARKABLE TRIPPLE-DIGIT GROWTH IN GROSS EARNINGS AS PBT HITS N1.0 TRILLION IN Q3 2024

 

Zenith Bank Plc has announced its unaudited results for the third quarter ended 30 September 2024, recording a remarkable triple-digit growth of 118% from N1.33 trillion reported in Q3 2023 to N2.9 trillion in Q3 2024. This performance underscores the Group’s resilience and market leadership in spite of the challenging macroeconomic environment.

 

According to the Bank’s unaudited third quarter financial results presented to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), the triple-digit growth in the topline also led to an increase in the bottom line, as the Group recorded a 99% Year on Year (YoY) increase in profit before tax, growing from N505 billion in Q3 2023 to N1.0 trillion in Q3 2024.  Profit after tax equally grew by 91% from N434.2 billion to N827 billion in the same period.

 

The growth in the topline was driven by the expansion of both interest income and non-interest income. Interest income saw a notable 190% rise to N1.95 trillion, attributed to the high-yield environment. Non-interest income rose by 41% to N856 billion, bolstered by substantial growth in fees and commissions, which highlights the strength of Zenith Bank’s retail growth and the robust performance of its digital channels during the reporting period. The robust increase in profitability reflects the Bank’s focus on operational efficiency and strong risk management practices. Earnings per share (EPS) nearly doubled, rising to N26.34 from N13.82 in Q3 2023, underscoring Zenith Bank’s strong value creation for shareholders.

 

The Bank’s balance sheet grew significantly, with total assets growing by 49% to N30.4 trillion, largely supported by customer deposits, which rose by 42% to N21.6 trillion. This growth in deposits was broad-based across corporate and retail segments, highlighting the Bank’s deepening reach and customer loyalty. Gross loans increased by 46% to N10.3 trillion, underscoring the commitment to supporting strategic sectors in the economy.

 

Capital adequacy ratio remained strong, improving to 21.9%, well above regulatory requirements. The return on average equity (ROAE) stood at 37.8%, up from 35.1%, while return on average assets (ROAA) also improved to 4.3% as Zenith Bank maximized its asset base. Cost of funds increased to 4.3%, reflecting the broader market trend of rising interest rates, while the cost of risk was maintained at 7.3%, underscoring the Bank’s proactive approach in provisioning for credit risk. The Bank’s cost-to-income ratio rose to 39.5%, reflecting the impact of strategic investments in technology and capacity building aimed at supporting long-term growth, even as it continues to strive for greater operational efficiency.

 

Zenith Bank’s asset quality remains a cornerstone of its strength, with a non-performing loan (NPL) ratio of 4.5%, within regulatory limits. A high coverage ratio of 198.4% underscores the Bank’s disciplined approach to risk management, positioning it for resilience in the face of market volatility while supporting stable loan growth.

 

Zenith Bank remains steadfast in its commitment to sustainable growth and value creation. The Bank launched a capital raise program on August 1, 2024, consisting of a combined Rights Issue and Public Offer. This capital raise was driven by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s recapitalization directive for commercial banks issued in March 2024. While the Bank awaits final capital verification approvals from authorities, the fundraising exercise was successful, reflecting strong confidence in Zenith Bank’s brand.

 

The additional capital will enhance the Bank’s ability to expand its product offerings, deepen its penetration in strategic sectors, boost lending to the real sector and pursue its African and global expansion plan.  In furtherance of this, the Bank in September 2024 received regulatory approval for the establishment of a Zenith Bank branch in Paris, France, which is fully operational and will enhance the Bank’s product offerings in international markets.

 

With a strengthened capital base, Zenith Bank is well-positioned to navigate the evolving economic landscape, while putting best-practice sustainability standards at the heart of its business. The Bank will also continue to prioritize opportunities that enhance stakeholder value and a strong compliance and corporate governance culture, which will reinforce the its leadership position within Nigeria’s financial sector and drive long-term growth.

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IPMAN: Setting the Record Straight

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Fueling Uncertainty: Investigating Nigeria's Subsidy Removal And Dangote Refinery Debacle* By Sylvester Audu

IPMAN: Setting the Record Straight

 

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery wishes to clarify that it has not received any payments from the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to purchase refined petroleum products.

IPMAN: Setting the Record Straight

Although discussions are ongoing with IPMAN, it is misleading to suggest that they (IPMAN Members) are experiencing difficulties loading refined products from our Petroleum Refinery, as we currently have no direct business dealings with them. Consequently, we cannot be held responsible for any payments made to other entities.

The payment in mention has been made through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and not us. In the same vein, NNPCL has neither approved, nor authorised us to release our Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to IPMAN.

We would like to emphasise that we can meet the nation’s demand for all petroleum products, including petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel. At present, we can load 2,900 trucks per day and we have also been evacuating petroleum products by sea. We advise IPMAN to register with us and make direct payment as we have more than enough petroleum products to satisfy the needs of their members.

Furthermore, we believe it is instructive for all stakeholders to refrain from making unfounded statements in the media, as that could undermine the economic re-engineering efforts of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Conducting business through public speculation is counterproductive and unpatriotic.

In the interest of our country, we encourage all stakeholders to collaborate and heed the advice of President Tinubu, while promoting a unified approach, rather than engaging in media conflicts and needless propaganda.

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