One purpose behind IndustryWeek's annual salute to manufacturing excellence is to recognize plants that are on the leading edge of efforts to increase competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction, and create stimulating and rewarding work environments. Now in its 20th year, the 2009 IW Best Plants competition once again is demonstrating that manufacturing excellence continues to flourish across North America.

For example, at E-Z-GO in Augusta, Ga., a relentless pursuit of continuous improvement has helped this maker of golf and utility vehicles bring back in-house work that previously had been outsourced. Lean manufacturing has driven improvements in performance metrics ranging from inventory turns and first-pass yields to productivity.

Head west to Tennessee and Philips Professional Luminaires in Sparta demonstrates operational excellence in the face of changing market dynamics. The plant, which manufactures lighting fixtures, has had to rethink and retool its product, processes and customer base to remain competitive -- and has done so by drawing on the extensive expert ideas of an engaged workforce.

Two facilities -- General Cable Corp. in Altoona, Pa., and Batesville Casket Co. in Manchester, Tenn. -- are previous IW Best Plants winners. The Altoona facility earned the distinction for the first time in 2003, while Batesville followed with a win in 2004. These plants are examples of manufacturers that have met among the toughest challenges in manufacturing excellence -- continuing to achieve high levels of excellence. As anyone engaged in continuous improvement can attest, pursuing excellence is one challenge, and maintaining excellence is quite another.

These four facilities, as well as the six others that comprise IndustryWeek's 2009 class of Best Plants winners, have achieved their success by pursuing excellence on multiple fronts. They use technology wisely. They ask for and accept the wisdom of their employees. They have leaders who do the right things, not simply say the right things. They engage with their suppliers and customers to drive gains up and down the value chain. And they don't relax in their efforts to improve.

The fruits of their efforts show. For example, among the 2009 IW Best Plants winners, the median finished-product first-pass yield across all product lines is 98.4%. In the past three years, those same facilities have reduced their scrap and rework costs by a median 34%. Median on-time delivery is 97.5%, and work-in-process inventory has been driven down by some 44%.

The improvement gains of the 2009 IW Best Plants winners will continue. It is simply the way they do business. They will continue to look within their four walls and outside their four walls for ideas and lessons to further drive competitive advantage in challenging times. Within the following pages, they share ideas that may assist your facility as you pursue your own improvement efforts.

You also can read more about the 2009 winners below. These online versions contain additional Web-exclusive best practices immediately following the main stories.

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