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IW Best Plants

The goal of IW's Best Plants award program is to recognize plants, located in North America, that are on the leading edge of efforts to increase competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction and create stimulating and rewarding work environments.

For More information:Download a 2011 IW Best Plants Application for reference.

Learn more about IW's annual Best Plants conference, April 23-25, 2012 in Indianapolis.

2011 IW Best Plants Winners: The Best Never Rest
IndustryWeek's 2011 Best Plants winners pursue operational excellence with a determination that is both endless and relentless.

Each year, North American manufacturing facilities are pressured anew. They are pressured to do more with less; to provide better service, faster; to rein in costs but increase quality -- and to do it in the face of increasing competition and less-certain economic conditions. Some manufacturing facilities rise to the challenge; others do not.

IndustryWeek is proud to announce the 2011 class of IW Best Plants winners, 10 manufacturing plants that have risen to meet the challenge. Their weapon of choice: operational excellence.

Click to continue and see the class of 2011.

IW Best Plants Articles & News

Quality is Every Workers' Focus at Life Technologies

Self-empowered work teams take ownership of product quality.

1/24/2012

Klein Steel Service Aims to be a Less Risky Business

Five-step risk assessment tool helps drive safe performances and reduce the potential for mission failure.

1/17/2012

Better for the Environment, Better for the Bottom Line

L.B. Foster Pueblo found that removing trichloroethylene from its manufacturing process not only eliminated a nasty environmental hazard but also boosted quality and cut costs.

1/13/2012

Making Manufacturing a Competitive Advantage

How IW Best Plants winners leverage production to boost the bottom line.

1/11/2012

2011 IW Best Plants Winners: The Best Never Rest

IndustryWeek's 2011 Best Plants winners pursue operational excellence with a determination that is both endless and relentless.

1/11/2012

General Cable Plays Offense with Lean

With the help of lean and Six Sigma, General Cable's Gregory Kenny is forging a best-cost manufacturer with growing global reach.

1/11/2012

General Cable Corp. -- Lincoln, R.I.: IW Best Plants Profile 2011

Change is Good: After decades of batch-and-queue production, a veteran workforce has embraced the switch to cellular manufacturing.

1/11/2012

Carrier Collierville: IW Best Plants Profile 2011

Meeting the Efficiency Challenge: A workforce dedicated to quality, productivity and continuous improvement fuels Carrier Collierville's success.

1/11/2012

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Lufkin Operations: IW Best Plants Profile 2011

Lufkin Makes Sure Missile Systems Are on Target: Plant leaders, employees ensure quality products during major expansion.

1/11/2012

Klein Steel Service: IW Best Plants Profile 2011

A Culture of Performance: At Klein Steel Service, success is driven by talented people who embrace a set of core values and seize the initiative.

1/11/2012

More From This Section...

IW Best Plants Winners

Scan records for all winners, from 1990-2011 or view a complete list of all IW Best Plants winners.

2011 IW Best Plants Competition

Competition Guidelines
View general information about North America's Best Plants program, such as eligibility requirements, the competition timetable and the selection process.

2012 IW Best Plants Conference

Find out what makes IW Best Plants winners the 10 best manufacturing plants in North America. Their award-winning strategies are the focus of IndustryWeek's Best Plants Conference in Indianapolis on April 23-25, 2012. Please see the IW Best Plants Conference site for more information.

Plant tour registration is first-come, first-served, so register today to get your choice of plant tours.

Best Plants Videos

How and Why to be an IW Best Plants Winner: All about the IW Best Plants Program
IndustryWeek Best Plants awards coordinator Jill Jusko, discusses the benefits of being an IW Best Plant and walks you through the IW Best Plants application.

Best Plants Winners Interviews -- Cargill Corn Milling-Team Wahpeton
Ron Fiala, Total Quality Manager and Red Geurts, General Manager/Assistant Vice President, from 2007 IW Best Plants winner Cargill Corn Milling-Team Wahpeton.

Best Plants Winners Interviews -- Rieter Automotive Canadian Carpet
Tim Quinlan, Manufacturing Manager, from 2007 IW Best Plants winner Rieter Automotive Canadian Carpet.

Best Plants Winners Interviews -- Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control at Orlando
Mel Schubert and Matthew McCloud from 2007 IW Best Plants winner Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control at Orlando.

Lockheed Martin MFC Orlando Fire Control Factory Reconfiguration Video
Defense contractor does double-time reconfiguration of factory floor (time-lapse video).

See more videos, including presentation sessions from the IW Best Plants Conference

Best Practices from IndustryWeek's Best Plants

Continuous Improvement E-Newsletter
Pick up pointers from the top manufacturers in North America, and identify action steps that can make your facility shine. The Continuous Improvement e-newsletter will give you previously unpublished best practices, benchmarking charts, and lessons learned -- straight from the winners and finalists of IndustryWeek's annual Best Plants competition.

Subscribe today.

Events

The Lean Implementation Journey: Next Steps for Small and Midsize Businesses

2/8/2012

Closing The Gap Between Breakthrough Objectives and Continuous Improvement Efforts

12/20/2011

The Customer-Driven Supply Chain: Getting Ahead of Demand

11/10/2011