The distribution ceremony of the King Abdul Aziz Quality Award (KAQA) to winning companies and participating enterprises is scheduled for Oct. 21. The award is considered one of the most prestigious in the Gulf region where the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) has implemented very high international standards. The KAQA was established as per a Royal Decree in 1999. A KAQA report issued here recently stated that the general aim of the award was to develop different sectors by employing high international standards and programs to assess the best output and the most effective efforts. The KAQA also creates a spirit of competition between companies and firms to produce more developed and innovative products. The General Secretary of the Award, Nabil Bin Amin Mulla, said that this year's award will be even more distinguished than before. “We are trying to enhance the standard of KAQA to compete with other well-known international awards like the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award of the USA, The European Quality Award, and the Japanese Deming Quality Award,” said Mulla. Initially, 120 companies applied for the award. After the elimination of some small companies, only 72 large and mid-sized companies remained. Over 230 representatives from these 72 companies received special free courses on how to write their companies' resumes, and they were also acquainted with the award's rules and judging criteria. About 22 companies have now entered the real quality competition. __
