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10th Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing

6 May 1998

Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing Winners

    LOGAN, Utah, May 5 -- Seven North American manufacturing
companies will be awarded the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing
May 14 at the 10th Anniversary Conference and Awards Ceremony.  Jerry
Jasinowski, president of the National Association of Manufacturers said, "The
Shingo Prize is one of the 'Triple Crown' awards for industrial excellence,
along with the Deming Prize and Baldrige Award."
    The seven companies include two from Mexico, CYDSA IQUISA, Coatzacoalcos,
and TREMEC, Queretaro.  The U.S. companies include Coach Carlstadt, NJ;
Freudenberg NOK, Manchester, NH; Johnson Controls, Lexington, TN; Lear
Corporation, Winchester, VA; and Milwaukee Electric Tool Co., Brookfield, WI.
    Coach is the premier American manufacturer of luxury leather goods sold in
more than 200 retail and outlet stores.  By embracing lean manufacturing,
Coach has eliminated quality inspectors while achieving a less than one
percent defect rate due to workmanship.  Increases in productivity have lead
to a 18.5 percent reduction in overhead.
    CYDSA IQUISA (Industria Quimica Del Istmo, S.A. de C.V.) produces
chlorine, sodium hypocroxide and sodium hypochlorite.  IQUISA's customers
include Kimberly-Clark, Pemex, DuPont and Procter and Gamble.  IQUISA in 1997
achieved zero defects for all products with 100 percent employee participation
in their continuous improvement programs.  IQUISA is the third CYDSA plant to
receive the Shingo Prize.
    Freudenberg NOK's Gasket Lead Center in Manchester manufactures products
such as total sealing packages for engines, transmissions and brakes.  The
Manchester facility has driven itself toward world-class status through Kaizen
and lean manufacturing, achieving 45 percent reduction in scrap and a 44
percent increase in productivity.
    Johnson Controls' Lexington plant produces a variety of automotive power
seat adjusters, power recliners, fineblanking and broached parts.  The
Lexington plant employs mistake proofing, manufacturing and just-in-time
manufacturing to achieve 100 percent on-time delivery for three consecutive
years with sales growth of 55 percent over the same period.
    Lear Corporation's Winchester plant is a supplier of interior automotive
products such as door panels, speaker grilles, quarter panels and consoles.
Winchester has excelled through the use of Kaizen, employee empowerment and
mistake proofing, resulting in $10 million in cost reduction and 100 percent
on time delivery.
    Milwaukee Electric Tool Company's Brookfield plant manufactures heavy duty
electric tools for professionals.  Cellular manufacturing and employee
empowerment has improved labor productivity by over 11 percent per year for
three years, reduced cost of failure by 56 percent since 1995, and has
contributed to the highest rating of brand for product quality and durability
in the industry.
    TREMEC (Transmisiones y Equipos Mecanicos, S.A. de C.V.) produces
transmissions for high performance automobiles such as Mustang, Camaro,
Corvette, Viper and light trucks and military vehicles like Hummer and other
automotive and agricultural vehicles for the American market.  Employing over
1,800 people, TREMEC has increased sales per person by more than 83 percent in
five years, increased the number of customers in 1996 by 60 percent and
received General Motors 1996 and 1997 Supplier of the Year QSP award.
    Established in 1988, the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing
recognizes manufacturing excellence in the United States, Canada and Mexico
and is considered one of the "Triple Crown" of industrial excellence awards,
along with the Baldrige National Quality Award and the Deming Prize.  Since
its inception, the Shingo Prize has recognized more than 46 companies for
world-class manufacturing processes and achievements.  The prize is
administered by the College of Business at Utah State University in
partnership with the National Association of Manufacturers.  The 1998
recipients of the Shingo Prize "are exemplary cases of the quest for world
class manufacturing based upon the Shingo model of manufacturing," stated Ross
Robson, executive director of the prize.
    For information regarding the Shingo Prize, contact:

    Ross E. Robson, Executive Director
    Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing
    Utah State University
    Logan, UT 84322-3521
    435-797-2279
    http://www.usu.edu/~shingo

SOURCE  Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing