Teams of quality experts will visit 13 companies starting Sept. 4 as part of the application process for the 1995 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, a Commerce Department/private- sector program to promote quality management in U.S. companies.
A total of 47 companies applied for the 1995 award. The award program was established by Congress in 1987 to recognize U.S. companies with outstanding quality management systems, to promote national awareness about the importance of improving quality management and to publicize successful quality management strategies.
Teams composed of five or more members of the award's Board of Examiners, accompanied by a staff member from the Baldrige award office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, will visit locations of the 13 companies. They include seven manufacturers, four service companies and two small businesses.
Team members will verify information in a company's application and clarify any issues or questions raised when the application was examined previously by the board. They interview employees as well as corporate officers and review pertinent records and data.
A panel of judges will review reports on the site visits and make recommendations concerning winning companies to NIST Director Arati Prabhakar. Secretary of Commerce Ronald H. Brown will make the final selection in October.
Names of applicants and information on their applications are considered proprietary and kept confidential. Only the winners' names are announced.
The Baldrige Quality Award is not given for specific products or services. Two companies may win the award annually in each of three categories: manufacturing, service and small business. NIST developed and manages the award program in conjunction with the private sector.
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.