2011 Korea National Quality Award Winners

KSA holds 37th Korea National Quality Award Convention

The 37th Korea National Quality Award Convention was held at COEX in southern Seoul on Dec. 13 to evaluate all quality management practices of the industrial community and to renew their determination to ensure global quality management.
Hosted and organized by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards under the umbrella of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) and the Korean Standardization Association (KSA), the convention was attended by roughly 1,600 people, including Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik, Vice Minister for Industry and Technology Yoon Sang-jik, Kim Young-hwan, chairman of the National Assembly Knowledge Economy Committee, the chiefs of economic organizations, and businesspeople.
In his commemorative speech, Prime Minister Kim stressed the significance of quality innovation to proactively cope with the rapidly changing global environment of industry and urged those in the domestic industry and business communities to join forces in producing brand hits in the global market through quality management.
The KSA has organized the Korea National Quality Award Convention as an annual event since 1975 to award prizes to corporations or those who contributed to quality management and product innovation in a bid to awaken the significance of quality management and publicize it.
During the event, attended by top-rated quality management employees and businessmen, the coveted Order of Industrial Merit, Gold Tower, went to Kim Myung-joon, president of Woory Industrial Co. in recognition of his role in exporting automotive parts to European and U.S. markets, with an annual average growth rate of more than 30 percent thanks to management innovation practices the SME has conducted for the past 40 years. Woory Industrial has been recognized for contributing to quality innovation in manufacturing by conducing in-house quality practices with the goal of ensuring global top quality management, including receiving the top quality excellence partnership awards from DaimlerChrysler and Visteon in the United States.
LS Mtrom President Shim Jae-sul was honored with the Order of Industrial Merit, Silver Tower. A total of 81 people, including Lee Gye-jae, executive vice president of Korea Minting & Security Printing Corp., were presented with orders and other prizes for their contributions to ensuring quality management. In particular, Lee Sang-won of Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction, the winner of the Order of Industrial Merit, Bronze Tower, has been credited with localizing power generation equipment and taking the lead in industry quality innovation by spreading the quality knowhow he acquired in the area of production to 100-odd cooperative firms.
A total of 20 organizations were presented with diverse quality management awards. The Korean National Quality Award Grand Prize, the Presidential Award, went to Sungwoo Hitech, which had been selected as a quality competitiveness excellent company for two straight years in 2009 and 2010. The company obtained the highest five-star quality grade from its corporate clients, including Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors. Sungwoo Hitech also became the Cooperative Company of the Year from General Motors for the third consecutive year this year and it saw its sales and operating income record a three-fold jump in the past three years while reporting no defective goods for a third consecutive year.
The Quality Management Award went to six entities, including SKC's film business division.
Han Myong-ho, president of LG Hausys Ulsan Plant, was presented with the Production Innovation Award, while the Equipment Management Award went to two firms, including Dongkuk Steel Pohang Steelworks.
The Green Management Award went to Rocket Electric Co., while the Air Force Logistics Command was presented with the Six-Sigma Award.
Industrial Bank of Korea and Korea Gas Safety Corp. were presented with the Customer Satisfaction Award, while Korea Gas Corp. was awarded with the Human Resources Development Award.
The Daejeon Metropolitan Government received the Excellent Local Government Quality Management Award, while Korea Airports Corp. won the Service Innovation Award. nw

(from top) Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik delivers a congratulatory speech at the 37th Korea National Quality Award Convention was held at COEX in southern Seoul on Dec. 13. Prime Minister Kim presents an order to one of the Korea National Quality Award winners.

Photos on courtesy of MKE

(from top) Prime Minister Kim shakes hands with one of the Korea National Quality Award winners after presenting an award to him,; A ribbon is put on the flag of one of National Quality Award winning organizations that have contributed to improving quality management.

The 2011 Korea National Quality Award winners pose for a group photo at the 37th Korea National Quality Award Convention
at COEX in southern Seoul on Dec. 13.