Provide technical leadership for vital components of the nation’s technology infrastructure by developing high-accuracy measurements and other broadly useful tools that grow in value as they are diffused as standards across companies, industries, and nations. “ [T]he
National Institute of Standards and Technology remains the steward
of the United States measurement system and is known
for its achievements in physical measurements, standards developments,
test methods, and basic scientific and technical research.
The work of this small agency is remarkably broad and has touched
the lives
of countless Americans, including business officials, homeowners,
firefighters, medical and health-care workers, scientists,
engineers, and the military.” “NIST’s work underpins most of today’s
top science and technology challenges, such as cyber-security,
biometrics,
voting equipment standards, and nanotechnology, just to name an
important few.” “One
of the biggest barriers to continued miniaturization of semiconductor
circuits
is the inability to measure many of the
critical dimensions at the desired feature size. Consequently,
additional research in metrology at the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) is critical to future chip development.” “The
result of almost every laboratory or field experiment rests on
the quality
of a measurement. Excellence in measurement
science, driven by NIST, positions U.S. industry and universities
to more quickly solve problems. Just as important, increased precision
and sensitivity enable significant observations of previously unseen
phenomena, often initiating basic studies leading to practical
applications of high value for the citizens of the U.S.” “NIST has played and continues to play a somewhat unglamorous
role that is crucial to advancing the nation’s technology
and manufacturing infrastructure. We know that scientific and engineering
advances are much less likely to translate to economic advantage
without the careful work required in establishing standards and
measurement techniques. NIST has also played a vital role in making
scientific and engineering advances available to the nation’s
manufacturing community.” “ At
the dawn of the 20th century there were still a few respected
scientists who doubted that atoms existed. One hundred years
later we are rapidly expanding our knowledge of subatomic particles
and
probing the complex mysteries of matter itself. An impressive
part of that effort has occurred at the NIST Center for Neutron
Research.” “A vital component of the nation’s research infrastructure,
NIST’s core laboratory programs have assisted industry and
researchers for more than 100 years in developing the technology
needed to improve product quality, modernize manufacturing processes,
ensure product reliability, and facilitate product commercialization.” “These
are exciting times for biotechnologies and the Association is
very fortunate
to have NIST as a partner as it continues to
bring new technologies to practice.” “I
consider your [NIST Metallurgy Division] group a key asset
to industry
in making
these decisions [on new electrodeposition
processes] on the soundest possible scientific basis. There is
no comparable body of expertise anywhere in the world that matches
that found in your group.” “As
a small business, having the resources to compete globally
is often
quite a challenge.
I would not hesitate to say that without
the assistance of the people at NIST, it would not have been feasible
for me to develop the processes and equipment designs and I would
not now be producing either the mercury or argon triple point cells,
leaving only foreign suppliers. ...” “
The value of the assistance provided to industry by the “Wizards” at
NIST can’t be overstated. I cannot think of a better use
of government-funded research than to funnel this knowledge back
in to U.S. industry to improve our competitive position in a world
economy.” “I have interacted with many scientists in my career, but
this kind of treatment is extraordinary and I felt impressed to
bring this to someone’s attention at NIST. Please accept
my thanks for providing a small company with excellent help in
a very timely fashion.” “As
a small company we could not have afforded the skills or the
equipment
to do
such work, so being able to obtain the data
through NIST was a big help.” “The
technical challenges facing the data storage industry in the
next 10 years
are so broad and so deep that the industry
cannot do it alone. We need researchers like you at NIST to help
us.” “We all have benefited significantly from the strong collaborative
relationship with NIST, and are most appreciative of the contributions
that several NIST scientists have made toward achieving basic understanding
of technical challenges... NIST’s support has been invaluable
to our project team....” “I very much appreciate the work done by the [NIST] Advanced
Optics Metrology group. In this instance, they have critically
helped expand industry’s capabilities at the boundaries of
current measurement technology—a basic goal of a national
standards institute.” “Thanks to the [NIST-developed] Expect tool, WorldCom [now,
MCI] managed to save approximately 47 minutes of manual work per
customer location on this project. Multiplying that savings by
the [customer’s] 1,850 sites meant 1,449 saved hours of work,
or about 8.6 engineering months. In addition to these gained efficiencies,
we also managed to increase the requested number of site turn-ups
on a number of occasions by a factor of two [to more than 50 sites
per day].... Thanks again to ... the National Institute of Standards
and Technology for creating such a high-quality tool and placing
it in the public domain.” “We want
to thank DOC [Department of Commerce] and NIST for their tremendous
efforts in the July 2003 Standards in Trade Workshop for the Persian
Gulf countries on electrical safety standards. These education programs
are important to highlight the movement toward harmonization and
the worth of U.S. standards to the world community. These types
of collaborative efforts between industry and government are much
needed and appreciated.” “NIST is the ultimate organization for quality in measurement,
standards, and technology around the world. Combining NIST’s
reputation with their very successful chemistry Web book made Dow’s
decision on a partner an easy one.” “
The superb scientists in your organization continue to push the
state of the art in measurement science, helping develop the advanced
technologies needed to operate the United States Atomic Energy
Detection System.... You and your staff should take great pride
in your irreplaceable contributions to AFTAC [Air Force Technical
Applications Center] and our Nation’s security.” “For more than 30 years, OLES [the NIST Office of Law Enforcement
Standards] has acted as NIJ’s [National Institute of Justice]
technical agent by conducting research into new and emerging technologies,
developing minimum performance standards for commercially available
equipment, producing guides on the identification, implementation
and evaluation of public safety products, and creating standard
reference materials for the forensic community. The relationship
between NIJ and NIST has increased NIJ’s visibility and stature
as a prominent science research agency for the public safety community.” “[M]y compliments on the efforts of the Computer Security
Resource Clearinghouse and other NIST information security efforts.
I’ve been in this field many years and have long admired
the work done and products issued by NIST. Way back in the ‘dark
ages,’ I always valued NIST guidance, with its practicality
and real-world focus.... Of late, however, you guys are surpassing
yourselves. The number of products issued is simply mind-
A nationwide network of technical and business assistance centers that helps smaller manufacturers to identify and implement modern production techniques, innovative workforce practices, and other technologies crucial to their competitiveness. “As
our economy struggles to recover, MEP is needed more than ever.
It
plays
an important role in our state and national
economies that no other entity is likely to fulfill.” “The MEP is the only federally funded program that provides
direct assistance to America’s small- and medium-sized manufacturers,
demonstrably boosting productivity, sales, investment, employment,
and overall competitiveness.” “MEP
is a cost-effective, public-private partnership, with MEP clients
experiencing productivity
increases four times greater
than comparable non-MEP clients.” “MEP
is a potential gold mine for small manufacturers. The sole purpose
of this national network of 400 not-for profit centers
is to help small manufacturing firms become more productive, tech-savvy,
and competitive. BizBest has tracked this program for nearly 10
years and has found it to be well-run and highly beneficial for
biz owners who have used it. You can tap MEP’s army of experts
for help in many areas, from improving plant layout to getting
your shop floor in shape to restructuring your finances, designing
a web site or entering e-commerce.” “ MEP
and SCMEP (South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership),
in particular, are the best things going for small to mid-sized
manufacturers. My experiences with SCMEP have been most satisfying.
The organization has consistently brought talented people to
my company, and the results have been outstanding. I could not
have
made the level of improvements my business has achieved in the
past 10 years without its help.” “The
Manufacturers Resource Center (an MEP affiliate) is trying to
help manufacturers
in the industry save jobs and keep
industry and jobs in the area. Technologically, they give companies
the assets they need to stay in business and pursue other avenues.” “The
Mohawk Valley Applied Technology Corporation (an MEP affiliate)
has become
our partner in success. As a result of its
work, we are now prepared to double our business in the next three
years and expand into new markets.” “I would recommend the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center’s
(TMAC—an MEP affiliate) services to any business that wants
to up the bottom line, which is why we are all in business. TMAC
showed us how to be much more cost effective and guided us so we
could be more competitive in today's market.” “This project was a model of lean in action. Because of
the (MEP affiliate) Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center’s
assistance, our operators are now routinely looking for opportunities
to streamline a process and reduce waste.” “
When we start looking for help in a new area, the Michigan Manufacturing
Technology Center (an MEP affiliate) is one of the first resources
we contact. If their staff can’t help us, they’ll know
who can.” “What
was accomplished here in one week with support from (MEP affiliate)
Manex is extremely
valuable and worthwhile. In
all my years of manufacturing, I do not recall output as tangible
as what we just experienced. We are seeing visible, very positive
changes in our staff and in the quality of our products.” “The
MEP Program ... is the only federal program designed specifically
to help
small manufacturers, and positioned to help
create an infrastructure for providing support to these firms as
the U.S. economy moves through enormous economic transition.” “MEP
is a popular program because it is a valuable program. It delivers
results
for America and its small manufacturers in
50 states and Puerto Rico. MEP increases employment and tax revenue,
creates greater productivity and profits, fosters a more secure
supply chain for national defense, and bolsters our manufacturing
trade balance.”
Encourages and assists U.S. organizations in their performance and quality improvement efforts through its management, with the private sector, of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and through its active dissemination of the award program’s framework, core values, criteria, and assessment methods. “The
Baldrige Award Criteria project an exacting standard and encourage
companies
to strive for excellence by seeing themselves
through the eyes of the customers and the marketplace. This Award
is becoming a global standard, and one measure of its importance
is the growing number of similar programs throughout the world.” “To win a Baldrige Award, just being ‘good’ isn’t
good enough. You must be great. You must demonstrate a world-class
commitment to excellence. Your organization must show continuous
quality and performance improvement. And your managers and officers
must maintain the highest ethical standards of corporate governance.” “For us, Baldrige has provided the best consulting services
we’ve ever received and the least expensive. Over the four
years that we applied, we received more than 200 pages of feedback
from highly trained, experienced, and professional examiners, who
spent literally hundreds of hours with our application and on site
visits. To sum up, Baldrige is the best way to get better faster.” “We applied
for the Award, not with the idea of winning, but with the goal
of receiving the evaluation of the Baldrige examiners.
That evaluation was comprehensive, professional, and insightful.
It reinforced where we were strong, and provided valuable information
on areas where we could improve—making it perhaps the most
cost-effective, value-added business consultation available anywhere
in the world today.” “While
we had a successful business, it was not until we set our sights
on
the Baldrige Award that we really began to understand
the magnitude of change necessary to achieve world-class performance.” “Branch-Smith
Printing has nearly 10 years of experience using the Baldrige
Criteria and benefiting from both the Criteria
and the Award process.... Over the years, we have found one of
the greatest benefits of applying is maintaining a performance
improvement discipline based on a system that is both highly regarded
and works.” “We
realized better results almost from day one of our entry into
the Baldrige
program.
While we were sometimes skeptical of
the opportunities for improvement, when we did respond, we again
realized higher performance results.” “When
we officially adopted the Baldrige criteria in 1999, we did so
because they
offered the opportunity to demonstrate that
we practiced performance excellence, and to demonstrate that public
higher education could and must be accountable.” “ [I]t
is the lessons learned during the Baldrige process that are the
real return on investment. Even for those who do not win the
award, going through the application process and working with
the examiners during their site visits teaches a company more
than any MBA course could ever accomplish.” “The
Baldrige Quality Award program is a vital national asset, setting
the
highest standards for excellence making American
businesses and organizations more robust and competitive.” “Sunny Fresh continues to use Baldrige-based criteria because
they address all aspects of our business. They continue to have
a far-reaching impact on our ‘customer-solutions’ focus—to
delight and bring value to the customers we serve.” “The
best way to organize that growth was to build around quality
and service
to our customers and our associates. The Baldrige
criteria set out a way to do that, and our associates benefited
because they could understand their jobs, their purpose, and the
direction of the company.” “To
better achieve the level of quality demanded by the company
and its
customers,
Solectron has combined the focus of
the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria on customer-driven
results with the procedural discipline of the International Standards
Organization (ISO) 9000 standards. With this combination, the company
has put in place a quality system that is woven throughout the
entire organization, from the associates on the assembly line to
executive management.” “What is needed is ONE business improvement model that helps improve performance in EVERY aspect of the organization—unifying strategy from top to bottom. The good news
is there is an excellent process available and even better—it is free of charge.
The name of the process is the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality
Award.” Date created:
02/06/04
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