Metalworks/Great Openings Awarded National Shingo Prize
Michigan Company Awarded “Nobel Prize of Manufacturing”
March 10, 2008, Ludington – Dubbed the “Nobel Prize of Manufacturing” by Business Week, Metalworks/Great Openings, a Michigan manufacturer and distributor of metal office furniture, received the 2008 Shingo Prize, the premier award for operational excellence in North America.
“The quest for the Shingo Prize gave us the direction and discipline to build Metalworks into a world class manufacturing business,” said Tom Paine, President and CEO of the company. “The Shingo Prize is an honor for everyone working here.”
In an effort to compete with foreign manufacturers, rising material costs and relentless pricing pressure in the market, Metalworks took action in 2003 to improve their competitive position and shore up job security for their employees by adopting the lean initiatives founded by Japanese industrial engineer Dr. Shigeo Shingo. Dr. Shingo has been described as an “engineering genius” who helped to create and write about many aspects of the revolutionary manufacturing practices, which comprise the renowned Toyota Production System.
“The 2008 Recipients have proven themselves as leaders in lean manufacturing and all their supporting business processes,” said Bob Miller, Shingo Prize Executive Director.
This year there are just six recipients of The Shingo Prize: two in the United States, three in Mexico, and one in Costa Rica. While Metalworks/Great Openings is the sole representative of the office furniture industry, the other five recipients work in the electronics, health care, and automotive industries.
After years of changing the very fundamental ways the company works, Scott Lakari, Vice President of Operations of Metalworks/Great Openings, felt that if they could be in a position to compete for The Shingo Prize, they would be placing Metalworks in a position to succeed for years to come.
“About 5 years ago, we recognized that to stay competitive we needed to have systems that allowed us to continuously improve”, said Lakari. “Our employees rallied around this effort, and to now be recognized as one of the leaders in North American manufacturing is very rewarding for all of us.”
The changes embraced all areas of the business including administrative processes. In addition to manufacturing improvements, they are also seeing similar improvements in areas such as accounting, customer service, design, human resources and purchasing. According to Michelle King, Vice President of Sales, the award adds another dimension to the company’s efforts to constantly improve. “Our customers benefit directly from our lean improvements; they see the results in our ability to provide reliable, excellent quality products, shipped on-time and at very competitive prices.”
“With our Lean processes in place, we’re able to offer our metal filing, storage, and desking products with more than 1,200 different colors, hundreds of lock options, and dozens of drawer front styles, all at incredibly fast lead-times. This enables us to compete globally, and often against much larger manufacturers,” said King.
Of note is the fact that Metalworks/Great Openings is located in Michigan, a state that has suffered the loss of over 250,000 manufacturing jobs in the past 5 years. This office furniture company has found a way to survive and thrive when other Michigan manufacturers, especially those in the automotive sectors, have struggled.
“The Shingo Prize validates our efforts as a lean manufacturer,” said Paine. “Metalworks/Great Openings competes in a world economy, and we have to keep moving fast.”
Metalworks/Great Openings is a family-owned company with 210 employees in Northern Lower Michigan, located in Ludington, on the shores of Lake Michigan. Great Openings is the dealer sales division of Metalworks, Inc. The company has provided metal filing and storage products to the contract office furniture industry for 27 years.
Company Shingo profiles can be viewed at www.shingoprize.org/Recipients_Business.cfm