FORT SMITH, Ark. - ABF Freightsm, an ArcBest company (Nasdaq: ARCB), is recognizing terminals in Omaha, Nebraska; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Johnson City, Tennessee; and Lancaster, Pennsylvania with the President’s Quality Award.
“The President’s Quality Award is the highest internal recognition available to ABF Freight terminals,” said ABF Freight President Tim Thorne. “The exemplary performances at these terminals are setting the pace for all ABF Freight employees. Their versatility, attention to detail and conscientious approach enable us to achieve quantifiable results that include satisfied customers and optimized operations. This is why our customers know that no matter the challenge, we’ll find a way.”
Each facility is presented with a President’s Quality Award trophy and earns a spot on a wall of honor at the General Office in Fort Smith. The ABF Freight Quality Implementation Committee, local employees and special guests attend the award ceremonies. All ABF Freight terminals annually undergo extensive evaluations, including a nomination process, a quality awareness survey, an on-site validation audit and scrutiny by the ABF Freight Quality Implementation Committee.
The comprehensive process gauges resource management, damage/loss prevention, customer satisfaction and other key performance indicators for the previous year. The ABF Freight Quality Process involves a variety of tools, including a five-step problem elimination process:
1) define the problem;
2) fix the problem;
3) identify the root cause;
4) take corrective action;
5) evaluate and follow up.
Education through quality seminars, job-skills training, focus groups and designated quality teams have ensured that quality at ABF Freight is a process, not merely a program.
Based on quality principles articulated by the late author Philip Crosby, the process emphasizes ongoing prevention rather than end-of-line inspection. Identifying and eliminating the causes of problems improves service and requires no additional expenditure.
