Wallace Company, Inc.
Wallace Company
Family-owned business based in Houston
since 1942
Distributes pipes, valves, fittings, and
specialty products to the refining, chemical,
and petrochemical industries.
280 employees
9 branch offices throughout Texas and
Louisiana
Annual sales $100 million
History
Early 1980s there was a bust in the Gulf
Coast
New construction, a majority of their
business, halted.
Wallace had $44 million inventory and no
market
Celanese, a major customer, said commit to
TQM or cease to be a supplier
Baldridge Criteria
Early 1989, two executives learned of
the Baldridge Award
Decided to use the Baldridge Criteria as
a road map for quality.
Initial internal scoring was 210 out of
1000 points.
Submitted application for Baldridge
Award in 1990.
Results
Baldrige Award 1990
1989 All-time record on a Monsanto audit
Lubrizol’s top-rated supplier (performance
rating greater than 98%)
Top performing supplier for Dow Chemical
Freeport USA
First distributor and supply partner to Brown
& Root Braun and Bechtel, Inc.