Best of Lean Manufacturers Recognized for Excellence by Shingo Prize

    LOGAN, Utah, April 26 The Shingo Prize for Excellence in
Manufacturing selection committee announced today the recipients of its 13th
annual awards.  One Canadian manufacturing facility and five U.S. plants have
earned this prestigious award for 2001.
    According to the Shingo Prize administrators, this program is the only
industrial excellence award that focuses on lean manufacturing, or the
elimination of waste.
    "We're unique in the criteria by which we judge," explained Ross Robson,
Shingo Prize executive director.  "We honor companies for streamlining their
processes and cutting out the waste, which is something that was first
implemented in the Toyota Production System years ago."
    The Shingo Prize is named in honor of the late Dr. Shigeo Shingo, an
engineering genius who helped create the Toyota Production System and other
related lean manufacturing processes.
    "We're very excited by the innovation and excellence we found in place at
the facilities of each of this year's Shingo Prize recipients," said Robson.
"In a time of such economic uncertainty, it's a comfort to see the measures
leading corporations are taking to ensure they aren't wasting precious
resources."

    And the winners are ...
    This year's Shingo Prize recipients are Baxter Healthcare Corporation,
Benteler Automotive, Ford Motor Co. (2 plants), Freudenberg-NOK and Johnson
Controls, Inc.  The plants recognized for each company are:

    Baxter Healthcare Corporation (BHC), Mountain Home, Ark. -- This facility
specializes in the manufacture of medical device products such as human
blood/plasma separation devices, kidney dialysis units, intravenous products
used to administer medicine and nutrition, and is the largest medical grade
plastics manufacturer in the world.  The use of lean production has reduced
lead-time by 84% and improved on-time delivery to more than 99%.  BHC is the
principal U.S. subsidiary of Baxter International Inc.

    Benteler Automotive, Hagen Exhaust Facility, Grand Rapids, Mich. -- This
advanced facility is one of the world's largest producers of hot-end
fabricated exhaust system products, including exclusive hydroforming
technologies used to produce patented air-gap manifolds and related exhaust
products.  Their many milestone achievements resulting from the implementation
of lean manufacturing principles include: 40% scrap rate reduction, increased
inventory turns, double-digit productivity gains, and improved on-time
delivery performance.

    Ford Essex Engine Plant (EEP), Windsor, Canada -- At this plant, Ford
manufactures three different configuration V6-style engines on a single
assembly line with a "batch of one" capability, which significantly reduces
line side inventory.  EEP produces 3.8L & 4.2L Rear Wheel Drive V6s and a 3.8L
Front Wheel Drive V6, in addition to V8 cylinder blocks and V10 crankshafts
for Windsor Engine Plant.  The plant achieved 100% on-time delivery and
improved first time through quality by 32% from 1996 through 2000.

    Ford Ohio Assembly Plant (OHAP), Avon Lake, Ohio -- The Ohio Assembly
Plant is 3.7 million square feet.  It operates the body and paint shop for the
Ford Econoline and produces complete Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest Mini
Vans.  Partnered with a unique combination of both Traditional and Modern
Operating Agreements, Local 2000 UAW, OHAP has produced over 6-million
complete vehicles.  Through lean manufacturing techniques, OHAP has achieved a
warranty improvement of 22% for Econoline and 11% for Villager.  Additionally,
the Villager/Quest has realized a 39% improvement in the "things gone wrong"
customer quality survey.

    Freudenberg-NOK, Cleveland, Ga. -- This facility was the first of its kind
built specifically for one-piece flow manufacturing.  The plant produces valve
stem seals, crankshaft seals, camshaft seals, transmission shaft seals and
powertrain oil seals.  The Cleveland facility has incurred zero warranty costs
over the last three years and, since 1997, has achieved a 54% reduction in
scrap, a 27% increase in productivity and a 97% reduction in PPM rejection
rates.

    Johnson Controls, Inc., Greenfield, Ohio -- This plant, part of the
company's Automotive Systems Group, is a polyurethane foam manufacturing
facility producing more than 25,000 pieces per day for use in vehicle seating
products.  Customers include Honda, Lear and two Johnson Controls assembly
plants.  Utilizing lean production principles and techniques, the facility has
achieved more than 98% machine utilization, has averaged over 100 inventory
turns over a period of three years and has reduced scrap as a percent of sales
to less than one percent.

    The Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing is administered by the
College of Business, Utah State University, in cooperation with several
distinguished non-profit and corporate organizations.  Referred to by Business
Week magazine as "... the Nobel Prize of manufacturing ..." (May 15, 2000),
the award is given annually to manufacturers in the United States, Canada and
Mexico who deliver world-class performance through lean principles and
techniques in core manufacturing and business processes.

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