Ashok Leyland's Pantnagar plant bags 2016 Deming Prize

Ashok Leyland has received the prestigious 2016 Deming Prize for its Pantnagar manufacturing facility. With this, the CV manufacturer’s Pantnagar plant becomes the first truck and bus plant in the world and also the only CV manufacturer outside of Japan to win the Deming Prize.

The Deming Prize is a global quality award and the oldest and most widely recognized quality award in the world. It is awarded to companies that have established TQM in their business

Receiving the Deming Prize in Japan, Vinod K Dasari, managing director, Ashok Leyland, said: “It is indeed a proud moment for all of us at Ashok Leyland to receive this coveted prize. Being the first truck and bus plant in the world and the only CV manufacturer outside of Japan to win this prize, adds another feather to the company’s achievements of delivering industry firsts. Housing the latest technology and processes, our Pantnagar plant is a fully-integrated plant capable of manufacturing all future-ready products across trucks and buses. Consistent quality, technology, innovation and robust processes are the pillars which have helped us garner international recognition, customer satisfaction, and help us deliver on our brand promise of ‘Aapki Jeet, Hamari Jeet’.”

According to R Sivanesan, senior vice-president – Quality, Sourcing and Supply Chain, Ashok Leyland, “We at Ashok Leyland have always focused intensely on quality processes and a customer-oriented approach with efficient people management. With large and strategic investments in technology and quality, and a young and energetic workforce, the establishment of the Pantnagar plant was an important step in our ambition to become a world leader in the global commercial vehicle industry. Being the youngest plant of Ashok Leyland, it is a great pleasure for us to be recognised with the prestigious Deming Prize 2016 for excellence in TQM. Our Pantnagar plant has set a benchmark that we have to live up to and strive continually to reach higher goals and conquer new frontiers.”

Located in the state of Uttarakhand, the Pantnagar plant has been in operation since 2010. It manufactures the Dost small CV and Partner LCV, a varied range of buses, trucks as well as defence and special vehicles. The plant, the youngest of Ashok Leyland's seven facilities in India, has a manufacturing capacity of 150,000 units per annum.

The Deming Prize and its criteria

L-R: Ashok Leyland’s Harihar P, SVP (Manufacturing and Project Planning); R Sivanesan, SVP (Quality, Sourcing and Supply Chain); Alok K Gupta, VP (Pantnagar Plant); Vinod K Dasari, CEO and MD; and Anuj Kathuria, president (Global Trucks), at the 2016 award ceremony for the Deming Prize in Japan.
 

The Deming Prize was established in 1951 by Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) to honor W. Edwards Deming, who contributed greatly to Japan’s proliferation of statistical quality control after World War II. The selection procedure of the winner involves a tedious process. It is a very intense and time-consuming effort both for the company and the examination body. The Deming Prize Committee views the examination process as an opportunity for ‘mutual-development’, rather than an ‘examination’.

The applicants are not provided with any criteria or issues to be addressed. They are expected to identify and address important issues based on the business objectives which in turn allow quality methodologies to be further developed. Every factor such as the applicants' attitude toward executing Total Quality Management (TQM), their implementation status and the resulting effects are taken into overall consideration before the final winner is decided.