Y 4. Sci 2: 101/8 QUALITY: ITS ROLE IN A MODERN, HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY ONE HUNDRED FIRST CONGRESS For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY ROBERT A. ROE, New Jersey, Chairman GEORGE E. BROWN, JR., California ROBERT S. WALKER, Pennsylvania CLAUDINE SCHNEIDER, Rhode Island DON RITTER, Pennsylvania SID MORRISON, Washington RON PACKARD, California ROBERT C. SMITH, New Hampshire D. FRENCH SLAUGHTER, JR., Virginia JACK BUECHNER, Missouri CONSTANCE A. MORELLA, Maryland CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut DANA ROHRABACHER, California STEVEN H. SCHIFF, New Mexico TOM CAMPBELL, California CONTENTS Page Dr. Curt Reimann, Associate Director for Quality Programs, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland; and Larry H. Adams, Treasurer, The Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Miami, Florida Richard Buetow, Vice President and Director of Quality, Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, Illinois; Kenneth E. Leach, Vice President of Administra- tion, Globe Metallurgical, Inc., Beverly, Ohio; and Mead D'Amore, Gen- eral Manager, Commercial Nuclear Fuel Division, Westinghouse Elec- tric Corporation, Monroeville, Pennsylvania.. Dr. Christopher W. L. Hart, Assistant Professor of Business Administra- tion, Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts; Dr. John H. Manley, Program Director, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; David Luther, Senior Vice President for Quality, Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York; Dr. Armand V. Feigenbaum, President, General Systems Company, Pittsfield, Massachusetts; and John West, Manager/ Assistant, Quality Improvement Program, Federal Express Corporation, QUALITY: ITS ROLE IN A MODERN, COMPETITIVE AMERICA TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 1989 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 11:35 a.m., in room 2318, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Doug Walgren [chairman of the subcommittee] presiding. Mr. WALGREN. Good morning, everybody. This morning, the Subcommittee on Science, Research and Technology wants to focus on the role of quality in our economy and in America's economic future. It is no secret that many United States companies are not as competitive in world marketplaces as they have traditionally been in earlier years, and it is clear that that is not from a lack of creative ideas, and it is certainly clear it is not from a lack of products but, rather, from problems that we are experiencing in the quality of products made in the United States. Not long ago, the label "Made in the U.S.A." was literally synonymous with the highest possible quality, and, at the same time, many foreign products were seen instinctively as products that were not of the quality that American consumers wanted to buy, and now, too often, the reverse of that is true. During our hearing today, we want to discuss the legislation that established the National Quality Award as a way of focusing our attention and our efforts on the question of quality and as a way of taking the first steps to turn this situation around. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987 came out of this Subcommittee, and, as you know, it established an annual award to honor those companies who have achieved impressive gains and impressive performance in quality and quality improvement. Under the Act, awards are made each year to two qualifying companies, at maximum, in three different categories: manufacturing companies, service companies, and small businesses. We have today representatives of the three 1988 award-winning companies to talk about their experience with the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award and the efforts that have been made in their company that have been recognized as being extremely successful. We also have the Director of the Quality Award Program, along with the Treasurer of the Foundation which underwrites the Baldrige Award, as our first panel, and then a third panel of witnesses (1) |