[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 188 (Tuesday, November 28, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2247-E2248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CONGRATULATIONS TO SATURN

                                 ______


                             HON. ED BRYANT

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 28, 1995

  Mr. BRYANT of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago, General Motors 
decided that the American automobile industry needed something new, 
something innovative, something which would sell more American cars in 
the marketplace. That something new was what is now known as the Saturn 
Corp., and it has forever changed the American auto industry for the 
better.
  Dubbing itself as ``A different kind of company,'' the Saturn Corp. 
has set the standard for customer service and satisfaction. Their 
television commercials tell their successful tale. How many other car 
companies can boast that over 10,000 of their customers converge on a 
small, rural community to eat bar-

[[Page E 2248]]
b-que and corn-on-the-cob and talk about the value and satisfaction of 
their car?
  From replanting the trees uprooted in the process of building their 
Spring Hill, TN plant, to harvesting an 800 acre soybean crop, to 
creating the Citizen Environmental Council, to helping Spring Hill 
build a new high school, the Saturn Corp. has re-enforced its 
commitment to quality not only on the job but in their community as 
well. It's no wonder that nearby Columbia, TN, was recently rated by 
Business Week magazine as one of the fastest-growing rural communities 
in the Nation. This commitment to quality has certainly shown, in more 
ways than one.
  When the first medium-red Saturn sedan was driven off the assembly 
line--following years of research and development and some 27 U.S. 
patents--Popular Science magazine named it one of ``The Year's 100 
Greatest Achievements in Science and Technology.'' This award was the 
first of many to follow, including the 1991 ``Design and Engineering 
Award'' from Popular Mechanics, the 1991 ``Easy Maintenance Car of the 
Year'' from Home Mechanix, and the 1991 AAA ``Best Car'' award.
  But the Saturn Corp's success story certainly did not end there. 
Saturn vehicles have been named ``Best in Class,'' ``First for 
Safety,'' and ``Tops in Resale Value'' in the 1995 New Car Guide as 
contained in Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine. And while Saturn 
has pioneered the concept of producing affordable, quality vehicles, 
they astoundingly beat out such luxury cars as Infiniti, Cadillac, and 
Lexus, based on the results of the 1995 Sales Satisfaction Survey 
conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. It comes as no surprise, then, 
that Saturn's 1,000,000th care rolled off the assembly line earlier 
this year.
  While the customer comes first with the folks at Saturn also prides 
itself in employee involvement. If there ever was a model for a hands-
on approach in the workplace, then Saturn certainly is that model. The 
roughly 9,000 men and women who work for Saturn each have important 
roles and duties, whether that be designing an innovative motor to 
drive their latest model or making such that the wash rooms are clean 
for the next shift, everyone's job is important. For them, they are 
producing more than a mere car--indeed they view their work as a 
reflection of what the rest of America ought to be like. That is, 
functioning as one unit, as a team, and working together to produce the 
best product they can while always remembering that somewhere, somebody 
just like them is going to own and drive that car.
  Mr. Speaker, there are many lessons for each of us to learn coming 
from the Saturn Corp., lessons that can't be taught at school or bought 
in a self-help book. I'm proud to say that I represent many of the good 
people who work there.

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