Set aside talk of tariffs and trade. When it comes down to what makes North American manufacturing really hum, it’s operational excellence on the plant floor, delivered by talented workforces and leaders who recognize and support that talent.
IndustryWeek’s annual search for the best of the best among such talented manufacturers has reached the halfway point. Twelve manufacturing facilities across the United States have been selected as finalists in the 2018 IW Best Plants Awards competition.
These 12 sites demonstrate key elements of an IndustryWeek Best Plant: an ongoing commitment to improvement, teamwork in driving toward goals, the smart use of technology to boost performance, collaborative efforts with their supply chain partners, and performance metrics that shine.
Every 2018 IW Best Plants competition participant has implemented some improvement philosophy and made significant improvements in some areas, and they deserve recognition for such efforts. These 12 finalists, however, show more progress in more areas. We congratulate them and look forward to the next stages of the annual IW Best Plants competition.
As in past years, the 2018 finalists show the diversity that is North American manufacturing. Speaking geographically, the south has risen, particularly South Carolina, which is home to three finalists. Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky and Missouri each contribute one. The farthest-flung finalist is in Everett, Washington, nearly as far west as a manufacturing plant can establish itself on this continent.
The diversity is more profoundly illustrated in the products produced by the 12 IW Best Plants finalists. Two manufacture appliances such as top-load washers and refrigerators, while others build forklift trucks, hydraulic pumps, gas fireplaces, HVAC equipment and more.
All of them believe they will be better manufacturers tomorrow than they are today. And even better the day after that.
IndustryWeek will select its 2018 IW Best Plants Awards winners from this group of finalists. We will announce those winners—the 29th class of IW Best Plants Award honorees—early in 2019, and tell their stories both online and in print, as well as at the Manufacturing & Technology 2019 event.
Without further ado, the 2018 finalists are:
Adient West Point
West Point, Georgia
Applied Technical Services,
Washington Operations
Everett, Washington
Boeing Propulsion South Carolina
Ladson, South Carolina
Enerpac
Columbus, Wisconsin
GE Appliances, a Haier company – AP1 Laundry
Louisville, Kentucky
GE Appliances, a Haier company – Decatur Refrigeration
Decatur, Alabama
Hearth & Home Technologies
Lake City, Minnesota
Intertape Polymer Group
Blythewood, South Carolina
Johnson Controls
Norman, Oklahoma
Johnson Controls Power Solutions,
Saint Joseph Distribution Center
Saint Joseph, Missouri
The Raymond Corporation
Greene, New York
T&S Brass and Bronze Works Inc.
Travelers Rest, South Carolina
