Deadline is March 14 for achievement reports
By Lea Tonkin
Are you ready to benchmark your organization’s progress in continuous improvement, best practices, creativity and innovation, as reflected in the 2014 AME Manufacturing Excellence Awards? Go for it! Even if you did not send an “Intent to Apply,” you still have time to complete your achievement report, due at the AME office by March 14. It’s a plant-focused award. Consider using the identified criteria to elevate your improvement effectiveness by incorporating the criteria in your improvement roadmap, even if you are not ready to apply this year.
Your organization’s award application process is an opportunity for shared learning within your organization. This award process also supports AME’s mission, vision and values — inspiring enterprise excellence through shared learning. A number of our past applicants have said that getting feedback that they could use on their improvement journeys was an outstanding part of the award process.
AME Manufacturing Excellence Award recipients will be recognized and celebrated during the 2014 AME International Conference November 10-14, 2014 in Jacksonville, Fla. As an applicant and potential award recipient, you’ll be in great company. The distinguished 2013 award recipients recognized during AME’s annual conference in Toronto included Bombardier Aerospace, Toronto; IEC, Albuquerque, N.M.; MillerCoors, Eden, N.C.; and STIHL Inc., Virginia Beach, Va.
You’ll find a general description of the awards and past recipients as well as a link to Achievement Report Guidelines here. (http://www.ame.org/ame-manufacturing-excellence-award) You can learn about developing an achievement report focused on accomplishments during the past three to five years. Award criteria range from the policy deployment process to safety and environmental health, manufacturing and business operations, extended value stream management and plant results.
Your organization’s achievement report should demonstrate strategy/steps enabling your plant to create a culture of manufacturing and business excellence and strengthen global competitiveness. A plant profile is also required. It’s worth the effort, just to get the feedback.
An AME award assessment team will review your company’s achievement report. Companies that receive a high score on their achievement reports will merit a site visit. The awards selection will be based on the combined results of the achievement report and the site visit.
Editor’s note: For more information about the awards process, contact Nancy Wajler, AME’s director of education and training, at nwajler@ame.org or 224-232-5980, ext. 235.
Lea Tonkin, president of Lea Tonkin Communications in Woodstock, IL, is the former editor in chief of Target and Target Online.
