E-Z-GO, Augusta, Ga.
Employees: 608, Non-union
Total Square Footage: 672,047
Primary Product/market: Golf turf and utility vehicles
Start-up: 1954
Achievements: 90% increase in plant-level profitability in past three years; inventory turns improved by 30% between 2005 and 2008; more than 1 million hours without a lost-time injury
Thanks to lean manufacturing processes, Augusta, Ga., golf cart manufacturer E-Z-GO can take credit for bringing some previously outsourced work back to the United States. About six years ago, the company began a continuous-improvement initiative that included a detailed make vs. buy analysis.
Managers at the division of Textron Inc., a $14.2 billion diversified manufacturer, discovered they could fabricate certain components in-house for less than they could overseas. Machine shop team leader Greg Mims credits increased employee engagement for making E-Z-GO's fabrication department more competitive with outside suppliers. "Reality sank in that people can make it cheaper than us, so we all pulled together, and people started working smarter and coming up with ideas," he says.
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