Johannesburg, 27 Nov 2001
Plantronics Inc., the world leader in communications headsets, today announced that the company`s manufacturing facility in Tijuana, Mexico, has won the Baja California Quality Award 2001, Best Maquiladora Industry, Large Company Category.
"We are honored to receive this award," said Alejandro Bustamante, president of Plantronics` manufacturing facility, Plamex, S. A. de C. V. "The Baja California Quality Award 2001 recognizes the effort and commitment that our employees have made to enrich our Total Quality Management (TQM) program."
"Our Total Quality Management program provided the environment for addressing the eight most important elements of the award - leadership, clients, planning, information, personal development/human capital, process administration, social responsibility and results," Bustamante continued. "Under our TQM program, our employees are trained to prevent problems by identifying the potential risks of occurrence, and then to propose solutions. This gives everyone an opportunity to be part of the improvement process, which helps minimize rework, reduce product cost, maintain production output and improve the quality of our products."
In presenting the award, Alejandro Alcocer, the governor of the state of Baja California, recognized Plamex`s achievement: "On behalf of the Government of the State of Baja California, this award recognizes the efforts you put into your daily tasks, and to your personal commitment in making a quality culture a practice in your work."
This is the first year the Baja California Award has been presented. Thirty-nine companies in Baja California participated in the award, including Sony de Mexicali, S.A. de C.V. and Tyco (Especialidades Medicas Kenmex S.A. de C.V.) in the maquiladora division. The evaluation process included extensive written submissions as well as a tour of the facility by a team of auditors.
The Baja California Quality Award is patterned after the Malcolm Baldrige Award, which was created in the United States to recognize achievements in quality and business performance and to raise awareness about the importance of quality and performance excellence as a competitive edge.
The Plamex facility was established in 1972 and currently has 1,700 employees. The 240,000-square-foot complex produces over 5,000 different models of headsets and handset products. Plantronics is a leading supplier of communications headsets in the call center market, and also offers full product lines for the office, residential, mobile/cellular and computer audio market segments. In addition, Plantronics produces a large number of specialty headsets and handsets for specific applications such as emergency 911, the FAA and airline industry and the Department of Defense.
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