EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Rick Dauch, CEO of Accuride Corp., has received the Quality Leader of the Year Award from the Automotive Division of the 80,000-member American Society for Quality (ASQ). The award was presented at the organization’s 2012 awards banquet held in Rochester Hills, Mich., where outstanding industry leaders and dedicated volunteers were honored for their significant contributions to Automotive Quality.
 
The ASQ Automotive Division presents its Quality Leader of the Year Award to a deserving professional who, while not formally in the quality profession, demonstrates outstanding support for the execution of quality and improvement systems. After joining Accuride as president and CEO in February 2011, Dauch launched a company-wide initiative to adopt consistent quality systems and lean manufacturing principles company-wide as part of Accuride’s push to deliver more dependable performance for customers.
 
“I’m honored to receive this award on behalf of the 3,000 associates who make quality a reality at Accuride,” said Dauch. “Quality is not free, it’s an investment. Achieving world-class operations requires that you invest in the ‘four P’s:’ people, product technology, process technology and procedures and systems. If you don’t, you’ll spend your money instead on things like scrap, rework, premium freight and warranty. That’s why I remain a committed, outspoken champion for quality.”