ELGi Equipments, the global air compressor manufacturer, is the first business of its kind to win the Deming Prize in 60 years.
The prize, which recognises excellence in total quality management (TQM), is awarded annually by the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) since 1951.
ELGi has been on its TQM journey since 2008, and through this business practice aims to be the second largest manufacturer of air compressors by 2027. Activities pursued under the strategy include production improvement activities and human resource development initiatives.
Accepting the award, Jairam Varadaraj, managing director of ELGi Equipments, noted that the trajectory is not always as smooth as it may appear.
“On paper, the path to success is pretty straight forward. But realising it requires a secret sauce. An envelope that rigorously enables, executes and continuously improves the organisation through a process orientation. TQM has been our secret sauce. We have a long way to go but TQM has helped us become a better company for all of our stakeholders.”
Initiatives included in the TQM drive include 400 hours of employee training per person for those on the shop floor, implementing in house and external quality education, and the creation of ELGi’s own vocational training school. Standardisation in sales processes has also been part of the program.
“At ELGi, we endeavour to accomplish ordinary tasks in an extraordinary manner, and turn extraordinary ambitions into ordinary tasks; TQM has significantly enabled the same,” said Varadaraj.