Alcoa Inc. reports that its Alcoa Wheel & Forged Products unit's wheels plant in Szekesfehervar, Hungary, has earned the 2003 IIASA-Shiba Award for total quality management. The IIASA-Shiba Award was created by the International Institute for Applied System Analysis and is "mirrored" after the Malcolm Baldridge Award in the U.S. and the European Foundation for Quality Management Award.
Companies that qualify for the IIASA-Shiba award exhibit total quality-management systems related to business processes and systems integration. Also, they must undergo thorough on-site audits aligned with the European Foundation for Quality Management criteria, and finalists must be confirmed by a jury of quality-management experts.
AWFS is the world's largest producer of forged aluminum wheels for commercial vehicles.
The Szekesfehervar plant's manager, Laszlo Veres, said, "We are honored that Alcoa has been recognized for its manufacturing and business excellence, and we are delighted that the Institute has acknowledged the value Alcoa brings to Hungary in exhibiting quality and excellence in our core activity: manufacturing performance. The processes built on thoroughly planned and executed quality system elements, and the results of the Alcoa Business System implementation clearly distinguished AWFP from the other applicants."