The winners of the 2000 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards have been announced. They are: Dana Corporation–Spicer Driveshaft Division, Toledo, Ohio (manufacturing); KARLEE Company, Inc., Garland, Texas (manufacturing); Operations Management International Inc., Greenwood Village, Colo. (service); and Los Alamos National Bank, Los Alamos, N.M. (small business). This is the first time that a water treatment company and a bank have been honored. The two manufacturing recipients, Spencer Driveshaft and KARLEE, make driveshafts and precision sheet metal/machined components, respectively.

Cooperation Agreement for Global Standards Harmonization

The International Electrotechnical Commission and CANENA, the Council for Harmonization of Electrotechnical Standards of the Nations of the Americas, have signed a cooperation agreement that should facilitate global standards harmonization. The organizations have agreeed to cooperate in a number of areas, particularly cross-representation and the exchange of technical information. This agreement will be instrumental in ensuring a rational use of available resources in standardization activities and transparency of the standards process, facilitating world trade. Contact CANENA Secretariat, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, 1300 North 17th Street, Suite 1847, Rosslyn, VA 22209 (phone: 703/841-3258) or see the text of the agreement. (Source: electroindustry, Vol. 5, No. 11, National Electrical Manufacturers Association.)

New Standards Journal Online

TechSavvy.com (formerly Industry.net) now has an online journal, TechSavvy Journal, an electronic publication that focuses on the use of technical standards published by many standards developing organizations. The journal will look into key engineering topics, such as the need for new standards, the standards creation process, the use and benefits of standards, and more. Insights and contributions from many SDOs will be featured. The Journal will also look at strategies for using the TechSavvy Web site to increase productivity. In its first issue, TechSavvy Journal examined: Are Engineering Standards Developed Fast Enough?, Strategies for Free Online Parts Research, and What Happened to Industry.net? To subscribe, contact Jaren Green, Senior Editor.

Election Standards

Amid the ballot confusion in the state of Florida in last years’ U.S. presidential election, consistent balloting standards were called for. In the wake of the problems, the American National Standards Institute contacted President Clinton and then-President-Elect Bush, offering to lead the development of American National Standards for elections-related issue (e.g., materials, equipment, and processes used in elections).

Free Quality

Quality management professionals often need computer software to help with decisions, but software can be expensive. Graduate students in Penn State’s Quality and Manufacturing Management program have created www.freequality.org, which provides—free of charge—downloads of all the charts, selectors, diagram generators, and other tools that quality improvement professionals and the general public may need.

ISO and ANSI Each Name New Leadership

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) welcomes its new president—and the first from Latin America—Mário Gilberto Cortopassi, of Brazil, who took office on Jan. 1 for a two-year term. A successful industrialist, he trained as a chemist and has acquired considerable experience in the textile and synthetic fiber industries, as well as being very actively involved in standardization over a period of 30 years. With his sons, Mr. Cortopassi runs his own technical and advisory company in São Paulo.

The American National Standards Institute has named Oliver R. Smoot its new chairman; his term began Jan. 1. Smoot is the vice president for external voluntary standards relations for the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). //

Copyright 2001, ASTM