Manufacturing Leadership Awards Gala spotlights the best in the nation
By Terry Troy
The 2020 Manufacturing Leadership Awards Gala recognized some of the most innovative manufacturers in the country, at a virtual event last week hosted by the National Association of Manufacturer’s Manufacturing Leadership Council.
The awards were presented to individuals and companies honoring world class manufacturing achievements.
“Creativity. Innovation. Excellence. Enlightened leadership. These are the qualities that drive the people of manufacturing to create a better future,” said David Brousell, MLC Co-Founder and Executive Director in his opening remarks. “In doing so, they help themselves, their companies and our collective industry improve the quality of life for everyone. All across this country, innovation in manufacturing is on the march.”
Manufacturing Leader of the Year went to Gerald Johnson, executive vice president, global manufacturing at GM, for his leadership in GM’s pivot to ventilator production in a partnership with Ventec Life Systems, code named Project V.
The judges also presented High Achiever awards. Lockheed Martin Corporation was a winner in the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics Leadership category for F-35 augmented reality shop floor mobility. Merck & Co., Inc., took home the gold in the Collaborative Innovation Leadership category for digital fingerprinting. Humtown Products won in the Engineering and Production Technology Leadership category for commercialization of 3D printing in the metal casting industry.
IBM was awarded a High Achiever Award in the Enterprise Integration Technology Leadership category for migrating supply chain quality workload to cloud. Cooley Group won in the Industrial Internet of Things Leadership category for transforming legacy machinery into smart tech.
First Prize in the Operational Excellence category for building a culture of operational excellence went to Hologic Inc. Starkey Hearing Technologies was recognized in the Supply Chain Leadership category for supply chain management transformation. The winner in the Sustainability Leadership category went to The Boeing Company for diverting waste to landfill while upcycling excess airplane carbon fiber. Nexteer Automotive took the prize in the Talent Management category for its manufacturing engineering global talent management and training program.
The MLC is a global business leadership network dedicated to preparing manufacturers for the opportunities and challenges posed by digitization, automation and technical advancement.
“At a time when the industry is more innovative and competitive than it ever has been, these award winners truly stand out as leaders of manufacturing’s digital transformation,” said Brousell. “We congratulate them for their outstanding achievements.”
The ML Awards gala is a prelude to Rethink: The Manufacturing Leadership Council Summit, the industry’s leading event for exploring manufacturing’s digital era. Focused on the connection
between technology, organization and leadership, Rethink’s agenda includes interactive think tanks, innovative manufacturing case studies and inspiring keynotes.
“We’re excited to present both events virtually as manufacturers continue to be on the front lines of the COVID-19 response,” added Brousell. Rethink will take place online Oct. 27–29. Details are available here.
