Teijin Automotive receives AME Award of Excellence

The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME, Rolling Meadows, Ill., U.S.) awarded Teijin Automotive Technologies’ (Auburn Hills, Mich., U.S.) Lenoir, N.C., U.S. facility with its prestigious AME Excellence Award. The Teijin Automotive facility is reported to be the world’s first composites and molding manufacturing facility to win this award, which has been given out annually since 2010.

The AME Excellence Award recognizes manufacturing facilities that demonstrate excellence in manufacturing and business operations. The award criteria detail a lean systems model for enterprise excellence. The primary focus of the award is to acknowledge continuous improvement, best practices, creativity and innovation.

Teijin Automotive’s Lenoir facility kicked off its Lean Continuous Improvement Operating System, called “Our Way” more than three years ago, with a focus standardization, accountability and employee engagement. It also required a thorough understanding of intersections in the business and how they impact each operation or functional area within the facility.

“Teijin Automotive’s Operating System drives success because it allows everyone ownership and full engagement to connect our business strategies with real business results,” Tracy Gray, plant manager, Lenoir, says. “Our operating system gives our team members a voice and the power to manage their own goals and objectives. Instead of making demands and expecting results, our teams are aware of their performance and have our support to make improvements.”

The AME Excellence Award has a rigorous selection process that begins when a company submits an extensive achievement report based on AME’s evaluation criteria. Companies that score high enough in their report review must then go through an intensive site visit. Recipients of the Excellence Award are selected based on the combined results of the achievement report review and site visit feedback.

Teijin Automotive Technologies specializes in the development and production of advanced composite components — including carbon and glass fiber — for the global automotive and transportation industries and is an integral part of the Teijin Group of companies. Learn more about its supply of exterior body panels for the Lotus Emira.