Baldrige Winners Recognized
On Feb. 25 in a ceremony in
Washington, President Clinton and Commerce Secretary William Daley presented the 1999 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award to four companies (STMicroelectronics Inc.--Region Americas,
Carrollton, Texas; BI, Minneapolis; The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. L.L.C., Atlanta; and Sunny Fresh Foods, Monticello, Minnesota) in recognition of their achievements in quality and business
performance. "The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award plays a major role in revitalizing our nation's economy, competitiveness and quality of life," said Clinton when he
announced the winners on Nov. 23, 1999. "Through their tireless quest for excellence, the 1999 Baldrige Award recipients are models for any organization that wants to improve performance and
competitiveness." "The Baldrige Award program provides a focus on organizationwide excellence that is a foundation for success," said Daley. "With their customers, partners and
employees, the four 1999 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winners have built on that foundation to become role models for excellence in the 21st century. While they are very different
organizations, each with their own blueprint for excellence, all four have in common a focus on the future and a passion for performance improvement." In attendance were
Baldrige family members, NIST officials, dozens of representatives from each recognized organization and members of the media. After an introductory speech by Daley, the president of each winning
company spoke, all highlighting their excitement in winning the award but professing that such an accomplishment represents a milestone, rather than the finish line, in their organizations' quest
for continual improvement. "I find it a bit difficult to absorb the enormity of this prestigious honor, but I know we've always believed in the value and benefit the award
process would bring," said Dick Pieranunzi, president and CEO of STMicroelectronics Inc. STMicroelectronics develops, manufactures and markets semiconductor integrated circuits for consumer
electronics and automotive, medical, telecommunications, and computer applications in the United States and around the world. "But we can do more--we can do better." "We are in
the business of performance improvement, which involves individual behavior change," added Guy Schoenecker, president and CEO of BI. "We educate and motivate the employees, dealers and consumers
of some of the most successful companies in America." Unfortunately, less than five minutes into his event-concluding speech, the President was interrupted by a fire alarm. The
hotel was evacuated, cutting short the ceremony. Named after a former secretary of commerce, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award was established by Congress in 1987 to
enhance the competitiveness of U.S. businesses by promoting quality awareness, recognizing quality and business achievements of U.S. companies, and publicizing these companies' successful
performance strategies. The award is not given for specific products or services. In its 12-year history, 37 companies have received Baldrige Awards. Recognized sectors are
manufacturing, service, small business, education and health care. To apply for the Baldrige Award, organizations submit details on achievements and improvements they have
made in seven key areas: leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management, and results. Applications are reviewed by
an independent board of examiners. Each applicant receives a feedback report that cites strengths and opportunities for improvement. The
Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence
are used worldwide by thousands of organizations to assess and improve their overall performance. Since 1988, almost 2 million copies of the criteria have been distributed.
Additional information on the Baldrige National Quality Program is available at www.quality.nist.gov . The
Baldrige program is managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the Commerce Department's Technology Administration, in conjunction with the private sector.
NIST strives to strengthen the U.S. economy and improve the quality of life by working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements and standards through four partnerships: the
Baldrige National Quality Program, the Measurement and Standards Laboratories, the Advanced Technology Program, and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. ANSI Moves Headquarters The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has relocated its
headquarters to Washington. The nonprofit organization, which administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standardization system, had been located in New York City since it was founded in 1918.
ANSI's president and CEO, as well as the staff that supports the Institute's conformity assessment, international policy and public policy initiatives, will now be located in
Washington. However, the domestic and international standards facilitation programs and its administrative operations will remain principally in New York. "The Board of
Directors' decision to relocate ANSI Headquarters to the nation's capital will enable us to work even more closely with U.S. public policy leaders," says Mark Hurwitz, ANSI president and CEO.
"This strengthened link between the private and public sectors will greatly enhance the Institute's ability to focus on domestic, regional and global issues in line with the Institute's mission. "Our proximity to members and constituents in the Washington area is critical to our ability to advance global trade, environmental, and safety and health issues."
ANSI works to enhance U.S. global competitiveness by promoting, facilitating and safeguarding the integrity of voluntary standardization and conformity assessment systems. It's the official
U.S. representative to the world's leading standards bodies, the International Organization for Standardization and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical
Commission. The new ANSI offices are located at 1819 L St. N.W., Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20036. Telephone: (202) 293-8020; Fax: (202) 293-9287. The New York office remains
at 11 W. 42nd St., New York, NY 10036. Telephone: (212) 642-4900; Fax: (212) 398-0023. For more information, visit ANSI's Web site at www.ansi.org .
ASQ Fellows Announced The American Society for Quality (ASQ) recently
announced the newest recipients of its Fellow designation, one of the highest honors ASQ can bestow on its members. To become Fellows, candidates must achieve distinction in their accomplishments
both professionally and as ASQ members. Recipients will be honored at an awards luncheon at ASQ's 54th Annual Quality Congress, to be held in Indianapolis on May 7. This year's Fellows are Robert
Abernethy, Melvin Alexander, Dennis Anderson, Ronald Atkinson, Edward Barabas, Forrest Breyfogle III, Youn-Min Chou, Tito Conti, Donald Ermer, Robert Fisher, Nathaniel Geary, Richard Gould,
Dimitri Kececioglu, K.S. Krishnamoorthi, Richard Kulp, David Palmer, Madhav Phadke, Elizabeth Rice, Parvez Siddiqi, Randall Spoeri, Marlin Thomas, Jagdish Vani, Joseph Voelkel, William Woodall,
David Yoest and Ken Zimmer. ISO/TS 16949 Registrars Selected
The recently formed International Automotive Oversight Bureau (IAOB) has released its list of accredited registrars for ISO/TS 16949, the new international automotive quality standard. The list
includes only 10 U.S.-based registrars and one Canadian registrar, Quality Management Institute. There are also several registrars based outside the United States that have U.S. offices and
clients. The decision to limit the number of ISO/TS 16949-accredited registrars to 10 is controversial. Several of the registrars excluded from the list have complained and
threatened lawsuits, claiming that excluding them from the list is unfair and does a disservice to automotive suppliers. The automotive OEMs say that they are within their rights to award
accreditation to whomever they please. The IAOB is an International Automotive Task Force oversight office. The IAOB's members include DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors,
several European automakers and trade associations, and the Automotive Industry Action Group. The IAOB was established to:  Implement and manage ISO/TS 16949 registration scheme oversight activities.
Help ensure global consistency of the ISO/TS 16949 registration scheme.
Support the IATF in its pursuit of further global harmonization.
Develop and maintain a central IATF database of strategic information.
The complete list of accredited registrars, including the 10 U.S.-based firms, is
- ABS Quality Evaluations—United States
- American Quality Assessors—United States
- AQSR International—United States
- Asociación española de normalización y certificación—Spain
- Association française pour l'assurance de la Qualité—France
- BVQI—United States
- CERTO S.r.l—Italy
- CISQ AUTOMOTIVE—Italy
- Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Certification—United States
- Deutsche Gesellschaft zür Zertifizierung von Managmentsystemen—Germany
- Entela—United States
- ITS/INTERTEK Services Corp. —United States
- Japan Quality Assurance Organization—Japan
- Korean Standards Association Quality Assurance—Korea
- KPMG—United States
- Österreichische Vereingung für Quaslitat-und Management-Systeme—Austria
- Quality Assurance Svcs. Pty. Ltd.—Australia
- Quality Management Institute—Canada
- SGS—ICS Gesellschaft zür Zertifizierung—Germany
- Smithers Quality Assessments—United States
- Steel Related Industries—United States
- South African Bureau of Standards—South Africa
- TÜV CERT—Germany
- TÜV Management Service—Germany
- TÜV—NORD—Germany
- TÜV Rheinland—Germany
- Union technique de l'automobile, du motocycle et du cycle—France
- Underwriter's Laboratories—United States
- Vehicle Certification Agency—United Kingdom
Although several of the registrars in this list are outside the United States, many have U.S. offices. Contact your registrar for more information, or visit the IAOB Web site at www.iaob.org .  Quality Digest Wins Golden Page Award
Anbar Electronic Intelligence has honored
Quality Digest for a second time with the Anbar Golden Page Award for Readability. The Golden Page Awards are presented annually
to outstanding management periodicals that consistently deliver excellent articles. To be eligible for a Golden Page Award, a periodical must first be selected to
be abstracted by Anbar by the Accreditation Board, which comprises experts from academia and industry. Specialist reviewers then review every published
article. The award categories are best research implications; best practical implications; most original content; and most readable content across all major management disciplines.
Software Engineering Housed at the Software Engineering Institute, the Software Engineering
Institute Repository Web site contains information on practices for improving software engineering quality. The free site currently hosts software process
improvement information and software measurement techniques and serves as a portal to related topics.
seir.sei.cmu.edu/
Hospitality Industry Performance Management
Unifocus has launched a new Web site with valuable information for those companies striving to improve in the hospitality, restaurant, food service and
casino industries. Subjects of special importance to such companies specifically addressed by the Unifocus site include operations management, human resources, sales and marketing.
www.unifocus.com Calibration Web Site
Blue Mountain Quality Resources Inc. recently announced the launch of its new Web site, which is designed to be the premiere information resource for those
in the calibration field. Features include current industry and product news, a career center, daily calibration tips, related upcoming events and more. The site
also hosts a comprehensive product and services directory, through which visitors can search for companies that meet their specific needs.
www.ecalibration.com
Online Machine Store
Cincinnati Machine has developed a new Web site called the Customer Service Online Store, which promises savings and convenience to customers
ordering any of more than 250,000 Cincinnati Machine, Heald and Pratt & Whitney products. The site provides seven-day/24-hour real-time inventory
access. Visitors can use the site to check pricing, availability, generate customer quotes, place orders, review order history and track shipments.
www.cinmach.com
Online Magazine
The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) has launched a new e-zine, Learning Circuits. An extension of ASTD's 10-year-old traditional magazine, Technical Training,
Learning Circuits includes feature articles, departments and columns that examine new technologies and how they are being applied for workspace learning and improved performance.
Additionally, the site offers industry news updated on a biweekly basis.
www.astd.org
To submit your Web site for consideration, e-mail a description of its content to contact_us
. Because of space constraints, not all Web sites can be published.
Partnerships AnswerThink Consulting Group and Camstar Systems Inc. have formed an
alliance in which AnswerThink will help deploy Camstar's manufacturing execution system software, MESA and InSite, into an integrated e-business
solution for manufacturers. This partnership will interconnect key elements of the manufacturing process, from supply chain through product design and production to customer delivery. Visit www.camstar.com or www.answerthink.com .
Richard Chang Associates Inc. (RCA), a performance improvement consulting, training and publishing firm, and click2learn.com have partnered to
allow those visiting click2learn.com's site to order RCA publications and products. Among RCA's most popular products are four series of publications: the Practical Guidebook collection
, the 101 Stupid Things collection, the Personal Growth series and the Development series. Visit
www.click2learn.com . Compunix, a developer of open-standards-based CAD translators has formed
a strategic alliance with Cimsoftek Inc. of Ramsey, New Jersey. Together the companies will provide the "best in class" solution for engineering data
interoperability problems that plague businesses of various types and sizes. By jointly marketing their products, the two software developers will supply
one-stop shopping for both direct and standards-based data translations solutions. Visit www.cimsoftek.com or www.compunix-usa.com . Recognition
The SETCO Group recently received recognition for its SETCO Air Seal in Design News' Best Products Contest. One of 154, SETCO's entry was rated
among the top eight largely for its ability to provide the benefits of air and rubbing machine-tool spindle seals while virtually eliminating drawbacks
common to each. The SETCO Group Web site address is www.setcousa.com .
Jostens Inc., a company best known for its commanding market share of the recognition products (e.g., diplomas, class rings and yearbooks) industry, has
received Federal Express's Quasar Award for customer satisfaction. Since 1995, Jostens has worked with the shipping company to provide a quality
service award program for Federal Express' staff. For information about Jostens' corporate recognition division, visit www.jostens.com/recognition
. Start-Up
Management Solutions Group Inc. (MSG) was recently founded in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The consulting company will offer Midwest companies
internal auditing services, corrective action completion, onsite workshops, and implementation and management of quality and environmental programs.
Organizations in the area interested in QS-9000-, ISO 9000-, ISO/TS 16949-, and ISO 14000-compliant management systems can contact MSG at (616) 365-9822. People The Society of Manufacturing Engineers has appointed members and elected
year 2000 officers for its Education Foundation. Elected officers include President Raymond Adams, Vice President Douglas Booth, Secretary
Laurence Hecht and Treasurer Peter Mackie. The foundation's purpose is to increase industry-responsive curricula in manufacturing engineering programs. More information is available at www.sme.org . |
