FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                  NIST 94-14
April 18, 1994

Contact:  Jan Kosko                     71 COMPANIES IN THE
          (301) 975-2767                RUNNING FOR 1994 BALDRIGE
                                        QUALITY AWARD

     The National Institute of Standards and Technology announced
today that 71 companies have applied for the 1994 Malcolm
Baldrige National Quality Award.  They include 23 manufacturing
firms, 18 service companies and 30 small businesses.  Last year,
76 companies applied and two won.

     The award program was established by legislation in
August 1987 to recognize quality achievements of U.S. companies
and promote national awareness about the importance of improving
quality management.

     Firms applying for the 1994 award provide details on their
quality management system, citing achievements and improvements
in seven areas:  leadership, information and analysis, strategic
quality planning, human resource development and management,
management of process quality, quality and operational results,
and customer focus and satisfaction.

     The applications are evaluated by an independent NIST-
appointed board of about 260 quality experts, primarily from the
private sector.  The examination includes on-site visits for
applicants passing an initial screening.  These will take place
in September.

     "The award and the award winners are a vital part of this
national effort to improve the quality of U.S. products and
services," says Curt Reimann, director for quality programs at
NIST.  "We are very pleased that interest in the award remains
strong, particularly so in the service and small business
categories," adds Reimann.

     "But the program is more than a contest.  The Baldrige Award
has helped U.S. companies realize that quality is a crucial
business weapon they need to remain competitive," says Reimann.

     More than 1 million copies of the award's criteria are being
used by companies and organizations worldwide--as a "blueprint"
to set up a quality improvement program, as a training guide and
as a way to measure an existing quality improvement program
against world-class standards.

     A recent study by The Conference Board, a worldwide business
membership organization, says, "A majority of large U.S. firms
have used the criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality
Award for self-improvement, and the evidence suggests a long-term
link between use of the Baldrige criteria and improved business
performance."

     Also, about 50 state, local and international quality
awards--sometimes called "Baby Baldriges"--are modeled after the
U.S. national quality award.  Reimann estimates that almost 
500 companies and organizations applied for the U.S. awards in
1993.  "This is exactly the sort of activity Congress had in mind
when the award program was created," says Reimann, who expects
this trend to continue.  

     The 1994 Baldrige Award winners will be announced this fall. 
The awards are presented by the president of the United States at
a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

     The program is managed by NIST with the active involvement
of the private sector, including the American Society for Quality
Control.  Awards may be given each year in three categories: 
manufacturing, service and small business.  The award is not
given for specific products or services.  

     A non-regulatory agency of the Commerce Department's
Technology Administration, NIST promotes U.S. economic growth by
working with industry to develop and apply technology,
measurements and standards.  NIST was selected by Congress to
design and manage the award program because of its role in
helping U.S. companies compete, its world-renowned expertise in
quality control and assurance, and its reputation as an impartial
third party.

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