Quality Achievement Team Awards 

The Quality Achievement Team Awards is an annual competition at Whirlpool that recognizes outstanding team contributions to quality, productivity and profitability. The following are awards received in past competitions: 

Damage Tracking and Control System 

Team Leader 

This program used extensive information from the Latin American customer base to redesign the tracking of damage and the returns process. Using formalized methods to capture information concerning condition of products on receipt the system channels the data back to the manufacturing process. The program was piloted in two countries before full rollout to the entire region. Team members included customer representation as well as factory and third party members. 

Order Processing Systems Integration - Sao Paulo / Miami 

Team Sponsor and Leader 

This project analyzed and integrated the different systems used between North America factories and Brazilian factories to reduce cycle time, eliminate redundant data handling, and improve quality at the lowest possible investment. 

International Shipping Trailers on Flat Cars 

Team Member 

This project features the use of flat cars to deliver containers by rail from Brazil to Buenos Aires, Argentina. It entailed coordination between the transportation providers (road and rail) of both countries, customs and both the shipping factories and the Argentine customer. 

Worldwide Excellence Program

WES is the foundation of what Whirlpool considers its 'Management Operating System'. Setting forth the company's leadership principles, it is both a management and a quality system. Based on elements of both the ISO 9000 and the Baldridge criteria, it emphasizes management leadership in continuous improvement, customer satisfaction and quality of product and process through all levels of the organization. Every year, each part of the organization goes through a rigorous assessment to evaluate its progress against published criteria. Assessors are trained to visit parts of the business that they are not familiar with and conduct a one week audit to establish a 'WES' score. I have participated in these assessments as both a team member and as lead assessor and must say that the exposure to various parts of the business and the opportunity to investigate and disseminate best practices is a singularly rewarding experience. In addition, I have also served as Site Coordinator for the assessment in my home division. 

The formal training program is designed to be delivered in five modules over a three-month period. The 'Train the Trainer' training is preparation to set up these programs and train additional instructors. I have conducted the sessions, set up additional programs and trained instructors. 
 

National Manufacturer's Week 

Chicago, Illinois 

Delivered conference workshop on "Hemispheric Integration, A Logistics Strategy." 

Guest Lecturer, University of Miami