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Four U.S. Companies Named Today as Winners of the 1996 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

President Clinton and Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor today announced the winners of the 1996 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in recognition of their achievements in quality and business performance. The winners are:

  • ADAC Laboratories, Milpitas, Calif. (manufacturing category);
  • Dana Commercial Credit Corporation, Toledo, Ohio (service category);
  • Custom Research Inc., Minneapolis, Minn. (small business category); and
  • Trident Precision Manufacturing Inc., Webster, N.Y. (small business category).

"The president and I are proud to name these four American companies as the 1996 winners of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award," said Secretary Kantor. They represent a new breed of American business, grounded in traditional business values including putting customers first, trusting employees, building quality into products and services, and being responsible corporate citizens but with a focus on the future and a passion for continuous improvement. They are models for how people and organizations will operate and work, now and well into the next century," said Kantor.

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award was established by Congress in 1987 to enhance U.S. competitiveness by promoting quality awareness, recognizing quality achievements of U.S. companies and publicizing successful performance strategies. In conjunction with private industry, the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology manages the award program. The award is not given for specific products or services. Currently, two awards may be given annually in each of three categories: manufacturing, service and small business. Since 1988, 28 companies have won the award.

Following are brief descriptions of the 1996 Baldrige Award winners. Further information is available by calling NIST Public and Business Affairs at (301) 975-2762 or on the World Wide Web at http://www.quality.nist.gov.

ADAC Laboratories

Founded in 1970, ADAC Laboratories designs, manufactures, markets and supports products for healthcare customers in nuclear medicine, radiation therapy planning and healthcare information systems. These products and services are sold to hospitals, universities and clinics throughout the world. ADAC's 710 employees work primarily at its headquarters in Milpitas, Calif., and at facilities in Houston, Texas, and Washington, Mo.

Contact: Kathy Call, Corporate Communications, Ph. (408) 321-9100

Dana Commercial Credit Corporation

Dana Commercial Credit Corporation, an operation of Dana Corporation, provides leasing and financing services to a broad range of business customers in selected market niches. Its primary offices are located in Toledo and Maumee, Ohio; Troy, Mich.; Oakville, Ontario, Canada; and Weybridge, Surrey, United Kingdom. Activities range from leveraged leases for power generation facilities and real estate properties with values up to $150 million; to customized programs assisting vendor-manufacturers in selling products such as in-store photo processing laboratories; and to customized private label leasing programs that aid computer manufacturers, distributors and dealers in selling systems that average $10,000 each. Dana Commercial Credit has assets of approximately $1.5 billion, and the company employs 547 people.

Contact: Tricia Akins, Director, Corporate Communications, Ph. (810) 680-4341

Custom Research Inc.

CRI is a full-service national marketing research firm with clients in consumer, business-to-business, services and medical markets. The company works with large multinational corporations to design and conduct projects that provide information to help make better business decisions. The firm is a privately owned corporation with 105 full-time professional staff. Clients are served from its headquarters in Minneapolis and its offices in San Francisco and Ridgewood, N.J.

Contact: Beth Rounds, Senior Vice President, Ph. (612) 542-0882

Trident Precision Manufacturing Inc.

Trident is a privately held contract manufacturer of precision sheet metal components, electromechanical assemblies and custom products. The company develops tooling and processes to manufacture components and assemblies designed by its customers in a variety of industries, including office equipment, medical supply, banking, computers and defense. Trident's 167 employees work at a single facility in Webster, N.Y., near Rochester.

Contact: Joseph Conchelos, Vice President of Quality, Ph. (716) 265-1009

Criteria for the Baldrige Quality Award are accepted widely as the standard for performance and business excellence. In addition to serving as the basis for applying for the award, the criteria are used by thousands of organizations of all kinds for self-assessment, planning, training and other purposes. More than a million copies have been distributed since the first edition in 1988.

To apply for the award, companies must submit details showing how they have implemented an effective performance management system. An independent board of business and quality experts evaluates the applications and looks for achievements and improvements in seven areas: leadership, information and analysis, strategic planning, human resource development and management, process management, business results, and customer focus and satisfaction.

Teams of examiners visit applicants that pass an initial screening to verify information in the application and to clarify any issues or questions that came up during the review. All applications are reviewed by at least eight examiners. Each applicant receives a feedback" report citing strengths and areas that need improvement in its quality management program.

President Clinton and Secretary Kantor are expected to present the awards to the 1996 winners at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., later this year.

The four companies will present details of their quality improvement strategies and results at the annual Quest for Excellence conference to be held Feb. 9-12, 1997, at the Washington Hilton & Towers, Washington, D.C.

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.

Released October 16, 1996, Updated November 27, 2017