HOUSTON-In his inaugural address, Roberto M. Saco, who assumed the American Society for Quality (ASQ) presidency on July 1, pointed out new areas where ASQ needs to venture more boldly in order to maintain its relevance.

The remarks were made at the ASQ Annual Banquet, held in conjunction with the World Conference on Quality and Improvement.

“Today quality is at a crossroads,” said Saco. “Both an obsession with innovation and the emergence of new technologies are crowding out quality from the very limited attention span of managers and employees. On the one hand, it’s a relief to know that quality isn’t simply a fad…here today and gone tomorrow. We’ve been at this for a long time.”

Saco’s address assessed major initiatives, such as the global transformation plan and the ongoing restructuring of education and training programs. These will play a major role during his term in office, as well as ASQ’s more focused and systematic embrace of cause and social responsibility concerns.