Lean thinkers lauded in U.S. manufacturing industry

North American manufacturers—15 in all—were awarded the 2005 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing at the 17th annual conference and ceremonies in Grand Rapids, Mich., in April. This year's awards recipients in particular demonstrate

The Shingo Prize is named for Japanese industrial engineer Shigeo Shingo, who cocreated many aspects of the manufacturing practices known as the Toyota Production System. The prize was established in 1988 to promote awareness of lean manufacturing concepts and recognize companies in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico that achieve world-class manufacturing status via focused improvements in core manufacturing and business processes.

"The diversity of the 2005 Shingo Prize recipients clearly demonstrates the universal value of the lean enterprise among manufacturers in North America in terms of performance excellence for quality, cost, delivery, and business results," says Ross Robson, executive director of the Shingo Prize. "People understand that the best model for excellence is simply lean."