NAM Presents Awards For Workforce Excellence

Compiled ByJill Jusko Three workforce teams have been selected winners of the Fifth Annual NAM (National Assn. of Manufacturers) Awards for Workforce Excellence. Each winning team will receive a $10,000 prize and a crystal trophy. The winning teams in the small, medium and large company categories, respectively, are:

The H.T.S. Team, N.K. Parts Industries Inc., Sidney, Ohio. This team developed a systematic and innovative process that reduced the time required to remanufacture transmissions and established a high level of quality.

Spartech Corp., Layton, Mo. The Spartech team reduced set-up times by 50% using the team-based Pyramid of Performance initiative, in which plant-level employees from multiple functions form teams for problem-solving.

Cozad Leaker Team, Tenneco Automotive, Cozad, Neb. This team was formed to address the issue of leaking shock absorbers. Improvements initiated by the team led to material savings of more than $65,000 and reduced the number of leaking absorbers that reached external customers. The NAM Awards for Workforce Excellence are cosponsored by NAM; its education arm, the Center for Workforce Success; and global professional services firm Andersen.