National Quality Award and First Ever ‘Distinction to a Journey of Excellence’ Award
MEXICO CITY, Mexico, January 15, 2015 – Plantronics Mexico today was recognized with two high honors from the Government of Mexico. At a ceremony at Los Pinos, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico presented President and CEO Ken Kannappan of Plantronics with the National Quality Award for 2014 and a brand new honor named the ‘Distinction to a Journey of Excellence.’
The National Quality Award is the highest distinction for organizational excellence in Mexico and recognizes companies and institutions that represent the highest standards of quality, operational performance and competitiveness and are also committed to sustainable development, the well-being of the community and attention to society’s priorities. Plantronics previously won this award in 2004.
‘Distinction to a Journey of Excellence’ is a new award which recognizes a company’s consistency and commitment to continuous improvement and innovation throughout its history, high performance results, extraordinary commitment to the community and an organizational culture that warrants its competitiveness and long-term sustained development.
“Congratulations to Plantronics' personnel for their hard work in making your organization a successful one. It is my honor to hand this award to you all. Today, Mexico is more competitive thanks to quality committed companies like yours. This success is an inspiration to be followed by others,” said President Peña Nieto.
“I’m so proud to accept this on behalf of Plantronics and especially the 2,300 Plantronics associates in Mexico who collaborate every day to achieve outstanding results,” said Kannappan. “When we first won the National Quality Award in 2004, we were primarily a hardware company. Today, our products are vastly different and more complex, spanning hardware, software and firmware, and we integrate our work with many partners. The ability of our Mexico workforce to develop advanced processes apace with the technological changes in our products while maintaining top quality standards is extraordinary,” he said. “To have also received the first Journey of Excellence distinction is a testament to our more than 40-year history in Mexico and the commitment of Alejandro Bustamante and his team to continuously improve the work that is done here, the values this team exemplifies and our support to the greater Tijuana area,” Kannappan said.
Alejandro Bustamante, Plantronics Senior Vice President of Operations, said that the rigorous evaluation process for the National Quality Award, “helps us understand our business better and lays the groundwork for driving even more improvements in how we do things. Empowering our associates to innovate and incorporate new best practices has created a culture of continuous improvement achieving better results for our stakeholders.”
This is the first time that Plantronics Mexico has applied for the National Quality Award since winning a decade ago. “Since then our associates have generated more than 1,000 innovations. Given the transformation of our business we wanted to measure our success again,” said Bustamante. Areas covered by the report include: results, leadership, planning, customers, operations, human resources, information technology, environment and community engagement. Independent experts in quality and competitiveness assess reports submitted by candidate companies and visit facilities to examine operations and verify report findings. They score each award candidate and make recommendations to the National Quality Award Committee that in turn selects honorees.
Jorge Ruvalcaba, Plantronics Mexico’s Vice President of Manufacturing, said that he’s looking forward to celebrating the two awards with his team. “We’re ecstatic,” he said. “We are dedicated to achieving outstanding quality for our customers and these honors recognize our associates’ contributions.”
Plantronics has earned many international and national honors lauding its operation in Mexico, including the US Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence in 2014. Plantronics has also been named “Best Place to Work” in Mexico for four years straight.
About Plantronics
Plantronics is a global leader in audio communications for businesses and consumers. We have pioneered new trends in audio technology, creating innovative products that allow people to simply communicate. From unified communication to Bluetooth® headsets to gaming solutions, we deliver uncompromising quality, an ideal experience, and extraordinary service. Plantronics is used by every company in the Fortune 100™, as well as 911 dispatch, air traffic control and various mission-critical applications for those on the frontline. For more information, please visit www.plantronics.com or call (800) 544-4660.
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