Teijin Automotive Technologies Lenoir Facility Receives Coveted AME Award of Excellence

The facility is the world’s first of its kind to receive this award

The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) awarded Teijin Automotive Technologies’ Lenoir, North Carolina, facility with its prestigious AME Excellence Award. The Teijin Automotive facility is the world’s first composites and molding manufacturing facility to win this award, which has been given out annually since 2010.

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From left: Ryan Biddix, continuous improvement manager at Lenoir; and Mark Parsons, operations manager, Lenoir, receiving the award at the Annual AME Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, yesterday. (Photo: Business Wire)

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 on 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,” said Tracy Gray, plant manager, Lenoir. “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.”

“I am incredibly proud of the entire team at Lenoir for the effort they have put toward creating a world-class manufacturing operation,” said Chris Twining, CEO, Teijin Automotive Technologies. “This team has set the bar for how we expect all of our manufacturing facilities to operate in the future, and with the Our Way system, we are well on our way.”

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.

About Teijin Automotive Technologies

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. The company is a worldwide leader in composite formulations with a focus on providing automakers with lightweight, durable products that enable design and packaging flexibility. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., USA, Teijin Automotive Technologies has 29 operations in 8 countries and employs more than 5,000 people. For more information, visit Teijinautomotive.com.

About the Teijin Group

Teijin (TSE: 3401) is a technology-driven global group with two core businesses: high-performance materials and healthcare solutions. Established in 1918 as Japan’s first rayon manufacturer, Teijin today comprises some 170 companies employing 20,000 people in 20 countries. Through “Human Chemistry, Human Solutions,” Teijin relentlessly strives to aims to be a company that supports the society of the future by protecting the global environment and addressing the needs of people and communities. Teijin posted consolidated sales of JPY 1,018.8 billion (USD 7.6 billion) and total assets of JPY 1,242.4 billion (USD 9.2 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023. Visit www.teijin.com.

About the Association for Manufacturing Excellence

Since its founding in 1985, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) has grown into the premier not-for-profit organization for the exchange of enterprise excellence knowledge. The association’s 4,000 members come together through practitioner-to-practitioner experiences to explore lean thinking and other operational improvement methods, exchange best practices, and network. Through engaging workshops, plant tours, summits, and industry-leading conferences, AME members discover and implement new continuous improvement strategies in order to share, learn and grow. For more information, visit ame.org.

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