Baldrige Award Winners Include Four Manufacturers

Manufacturers' commitment to quality was amply demonstrated last week with the announcement of the 2003 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winners. They included four companies primarily identified with manufacturing. Two of the manufacturers won for their services divisions. The winners are:

• Medrad Inc., a medical devices manufacturer based in Indianola, Pa., which won the award in the manufacturing category;
• Boeing Aerospace Support, St. Louis, and Caterpillar Financial Services Corp., Nashville, both honored in the service category;
• Stoner Inc., a Quarryville, Pa.-based manufacturer of cleaners, lubricants and coatings, which was honored in the small business category;
• Community Consolidated School District 15, Palatine, Ill., honored in the education category; and
• Baptist Hospital Inc., Pensacola, Fla., and Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City (Mo.), both honored in the health-care category.

The 2003 Baldrige Award recipients were selected from among 68 applicants and were judged in seven areas: leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management and results. The Baldrige program is managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in conjunction with the private sector.