Quality Magazine is no stranger when it comes to awards. For the past several years we’ve been giving out three annual awards-the Quality Leadership 100, Quality Plant of the Year and Quality Professional of the Year.

It’s that time of year again. Whenever you turn on your television, there’s another awards show being aired. Does anyone watch these shows for the awards anymore? Or do we watch for the glitz and glamour to be part of the water cooler talk?

Because of the Writers’ Strike, awards shows took on a whole new look this year. Gone was the red carpet in many cases only to be replaced by a press conference announcing the winners. As I write this, the strike has ended and they’re predicting business as usual for the Oscars.

Quality Magazine is no stranger when it comes to awards, only without the designer dresses, tuxedos and millions of dollars in jewelry-although, I will gladly borrow the jewelry; it goes great with my jeans and sweatshirts. For the past several years we’ve been giving out three annual awards-the Quality Leadership 100, Quality Plant of the Year and Quality Professional of the Year.

The Quality Leadership 100 were surveyed on criteria such as scrap and rework as a percentage of sales, warranty costs as a percentage of sales, rejected parts per million shipped and contribution of quality to profitability and shareholder value. Companies also were evaluated based on the number of quality programs in place; registration to various standards; percentage of employees dedicated to quality responsibilities; average number of hours monthly that employees receive quality training; and the role quality professionals play in the acquisition of test, measurement and inspection tools, software and services. To read more about the 2008 Quality Leadership 100, turn to page 48.

The Quality Plant of the Year is determined through a variety of criteria including how manufacturing processes have improved through the use of new test, measurement and inspection technology, software and services; the steps a plant has taken to reduce defects, production rework and warranty costs; and the role operators and technicians play in the successful implementation of new quality technologies and strategies.

The Quality Professional of the Year award recognizes an individual who, during the course of his or her career, has made outstanding contributions to the quality profession. The Professional of the Year is judged on leadership, achievements, application, awards and service.

Nomination forms for the 2009 Quality Plant and Professional of the Year are available at www.qualitymag.com.

I’m been holding the envelopes for the 2008 Quality Plant and Professional of the Year and decided to take a peek. Congratulations to the 2008 Quality Plant of the Year: Ford Motor Co.’s Van Dyke Transmission Plant in Sterling Heights, MI. Coming in April will be an in-depth profile of the plant and how they use quality day in and day out.

Congratulations are also in order for Peter Sanderson, president of TQMS Inc. and this year’s Quality Professional of the Year. Find out how Sanderson got started in the quality field and his take on how quality has changed over the years. All this and more in the May issue.