As we look at the class of 2011, another adjective seems equally appropriate: iconoclastic.
This year's inductees have made names for themselves by challenging the established norms of their organizations, their industries and their world.
Take Dick Morley. As a contract engineer in the late 1960s, Morley was convinced there had to be a better way to run production equipment than the clunky, hard-wired control systems that were prevalent in factories at the time. That led to Morley's invention of the programmable controller -- perhaps one of the most important technological developments in the history of manufacturing.
Then you have Intel Corp. co-founder Gordon Moore, who in 1965 theorized that computing power would double every year (he later updated it to two years). That bold assertion became a cornerstone of Intel's success -- and has served as a guiding principle for the semiconductor industry ever since.
Then there's Ford Motor Co. president and CEO Alan Mulally, who came to the company as an auto-industry outsider in 2006. Under Mulally's leadership, Ford has weathered the recession -- without government loans -- and is beginning to hit on all cylinders.
In the other seven Hall of Fame inductees -- John Brown, Dan DiMicco, Armand Feigenbaum, Raymond Floyd, Jay Forrester, Alan Lafley and John Shook -- you'll find similar stories of people with sometimes-radical ideas -- and the determination to see those ideas through.
You might say that this year's inductees tend to dance to the beats of their own drummers.
And U.S. manufacturing is forever changed because of it.
And speaking of communities, this is a team that you -- the readers -- helped us assemble, by way of your nominations. As we look ahead to the fourth-annual IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame next year, we'd like your input for the 2012 class. Drop us a line at [email protected], and let us know who you'd like to see on your manufacturing dream team.
We also want to acknowledge the generous support of Swagelok as sponsor for this year's Hall of Fame class.
Congratulations to the members of the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame Class of 2011.
