Pittsburgh Glass Works Takes Steps to "Enhance Quality Systems;" Names New Director of Quality
September 8, 2010

Pittsburgh Glass Works (PGW) LLC announced today that the company is "taking proactive steps to enhance quality systems in order to meet customer needs … " In addition, the company has announced that it has hired Richard Corliss to the newly created position of director of quality.

"As we continue to successfully deploy growth strategies and expand our customer base, both in the automotive replacement glass and OEM sectors, it is critical for us to continue to enhance our quality performance with our customers," says Joseph D. Stas, executive vice president and chief operating officer, PGW. "Operational excellence is more crucial today than ever due to increasing customer demands, as well as fierce competitive challenges. We are taking new steps to enhance our focus and to continue PGW's growth as a premier global automotive glass organization."

Corliss will assume overall responsibility of PGW's "global quality organization." His primary focus will be collaborating with PGW's manufacturing and commercial teams to enhance the company's quality systems from end to end to meet PGW's customers' needs, according to a statement from the company.

Corliss has 35 years of management, quality and operations leadership experience, and most recently was with Tinnerman Palnut Engineered Products, where he served as director, engineering and quality, and worked with plant managers and local quality managers to root cause and countermeasure internal product and processing challenges, as well as optimize quality opportunities as identified through internal reviews and cooperative discussion with customers.

Prior to his position with Tinnerman, Corliss spent 30 years with Alcoa, where he also managed the company's quality and technology functions.

"This expertise, along with his management skills and problem-solving background, provide a solid foundation for driving ongoing enhancement of PGW's quality systems," writes the company in today's statement.

Corliss will report to Stas at PGW's headquarters in Pittsburgh.

PGW director of strategic project management Mukesh Rustagi attributed the addition of the quality director to the company's growing customer base and also increasing demands.

"The reason for adding on the role of director of quality now is that PGW is growing its customer base and the customers are more demanding than ever," he told glassBYTes.com™/AGRR magazine. "As PGW grows in the market segments it serves, the proactive focus on quality will ensure that our customers receive the quality of products and services that they expect ... "

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