WES-TEX PRINTING NAMED WINNER OF THE 2001 ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY-USA TODAY QUALITY CUP COMPETITION

BROWNWOOD, TX-- Wes-Tex Printing, a wholesale printer specializing in thermography (raised printing) is this year's recipient of the annual Quality Cup award for the Small Business Category sponsored by the Rochester Institute of Technology and USA Today.

The prestigious Quality Cup awards were established in 1992 and are presented annually to employee teams that have worked together to successfully improve product or service quality. The awards are presented to teams representing manufacturing, government, health care, education, service and small business. The winning Wes-Tex "Turnaround Time and Workflow" teams expedited production time, while maintaining quality, from four to seven days, to two to three days in just one year of working together.

Wes-Tex was established in 1960 as a wholesale printer and thermographer with sales averaging $500,000 and 16 employees. Today, the firm employs approximately 130 people with sales reaching over $7.6 million.

According to Wes-Tex Team Leader Shirley Stovall, "As we first began the team approach, new values were being implemented into the company-- Customer Focus, Integrity and Continuous Improvement. The new company core values, along with the company mascot, Cutter, allowed employees to focus on working as a team instead of as individuals. The benefits from this approach have been overwhelming. Sales are up and customers are calling and writing to express their appreciation of the improved in-plant time without the loss of quality. With this support from employees and customers, Wes-Tex is becoming a better and more competitive company."

Awards were presented at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York on May 11, 2001. Representatives attending were Team Leader Michelle Owings, Team Members Connie Reeves, Tammy Lowrey, Nita Henderson, Cindy Clark, Melissa Buendia; Team Leader and Facilitator Shirley Stovall, and Wes-Tex President Steve Blake.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, WPT's mission is to promote and advance the art of thermography, and the use and application of the thermographic process. The professional look and feel of thermography, also known as raised printing, makes it a popular choice for a variety of business uses including business cards, greeting cards, brochures and product packaging. WPT now has 72 regular, affiliate and associate members in the United States, Europe and Australia. It includes printing thermographers ranging from small independents to major franchise chains as well as suppliers to the industry.