Ashok Leyland won the 2016 Deming Prize for its Pantnagar manufacturing facility. The Deming Prize is a global quality award awarded to companies that have established Total Quality Management (TQM) in their business operations. Ashok Leyland Pantnagar has become the first truck and bus plant in the world and also the only commercial vehicle manufacturer of non-Japanese origin to win the Deming Prize. Speaking of the win, Vinod K. Dasari, Managing Director of Ashok Leyland mentioned that the Pantnagar plant, a fully-integrated plant, is capable of manufacturing all future-ready products across trucks and buses. “Consistent quality, technology, innovation and robust processes are the pillars which have helped us garner international recognition and customer satisfaction,” he added. R. Sivanesan, Senior Vice President – Quality, Sourcing and Supply Chain of Ashok Leyland drew attention to plant being the youngest for the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and that the recognition was only befitting. The Deming Prize was established in 1951 by Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) to honor W. Edwards Deming, who contributed greatly to Japan’s proliferation of statistical quality control after World War II. The selection procedure of the winner involves a tedious process. It is known to be very intense and time consuming effort both for the company and the examination body. The applicants are not provided with any criteria or issues to be addressed. They are expected to identify and address important issues based on the business objectives which in turn allows quality methodologies to be further developed. Every factor such as the applicants’ attitude toward executing Total Quality Management (TQM), their implementation status and the resulting effects are taken into overall consideration before deciding upon the final winner.