In a glittering ceremony held at Mumbai, Tata Steel’s Tubes Division became proud winner of the 16th JRD QV Award amidst a total entry of 90 Tata Group companies. Other units of Tata Steel which gave a close chase were FAMD (Ferro Alloys and Minerals Divisions) and Wires Division.

This prestigious award is given to a group company which has excelled in business performance following the Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM). Tubes Division achieved a score of 610 and won the JRD QV award for the year 2010 for having crossed the 600 mark for the first time. The division joins an elite band of companies/ divisions who crossed the 600 mark line in the past. Notable among those are Tata Steel, TCS, Tata Motors, TELCON, Tinplate Co of India, Tata Chemicals & TITAN.

The Business Excellence journey at Tubes Division began in 2001. For the last 5 years the unit was placed in the 550 - 650 band, narrowly missing the 600 mark each time. It came closest last year when the assessors pegged the division at 590 points.

Mr H M Nerurkar, Managing Director, Tata Steel received the award on behalf of Tubes Division from the Group Chairman, Mr Ratan N Tata. Also present were Mr Rajiv Mangal, Executive In-Charge (Tubes), Mr Vivek Kamra, President & CEO Designate Natsteel Singapore and former EIC, Tubes when the Division reached the 590 mark) and Mr Kulvin Suri, Chief of Marketing & Sales, Tubes Division.

Speaking at the felicitation, Mr Nerurkar congratulated Tubes Division, all its Channel partners and the leadership team at the Tata Workers’ Union, for providing an unstinted support by adopting new practices in this challenging environment.

This award comes at an apt time when Tubes Division completes 25 years of being a Strategic Business Unit (SBU) of TATA STEEL. Over the years, it has taken significant strides in Technological up gradation and implementation of cutting edge market facing initiatives such as Retail Value Management (RVM), Customer Value Management (CVM), and Theory of Constraints (TOC) led customer service solutions. Today Tubes occupies the undisputed no. 1 position in Conveyance and Structural business and is an emerging leader in the Precision Tubes business.

The JRD Tata Quality Value Award was instituted in the memory of JRD Tata, as a tribute to his quest for perfection in every sphere of activity. It is modeled on the lines of Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award integrating attributes from other national quality awards. The award recognizes a company within the Tata Group, which excels in quality management and has achieved the highest levels of quality. Each year, this award is presented on the 29th July, to commemorate the birth day of the legendary leader.

The award is given to Tata Group companies to create awareness on the importance of the value of quality and the need for total customer satisfaction in all areas of operations within Tata Group of companies. It is also aimed at achieving and maintaining continuous excellence and consistent leadership in the market.