Award Categories

 

Manufacturing Leadership 100 Award nominees are asked to enter information about the projects or individual achievements they are nominating into one of 11 categories. Seven of the categories are for companies that have undertaken successful, high-impact projects. Four of the categories are for individuals whose achievements have advanced their companies or the manufacturing industry.

Individuals nominated for Manufacturing Leadership 100 Awards should be senior enterprise executives whose achievements exemplify leadership as defined in one of the four individual categories. The achievements for which individual leaders are nominated should be separate and distinct from projects that are being nominated for ML100 project awards. For an example of an ML100 individual leadership award nomination, click here.

 

PROJECT/COMPANY CATEGORIES

  1. Global Value Chain Award—Winners in this category will have rethought and reengineered how they source, produce, and deliver products to customers in dynamic global markets. Winning projects in this category will have undertaken efforts to revamp and optimize supply chain and related processes, with an eye toward speeding to market products that deliver maximum value to customers.
  2. Sustainability Award—Winners in this category will have implemented projects that demonstrate they have thoroughly embraced manufacturing processes that are non-polluting, conserve energy and natural resources, and are economically sound and safe for employees, communities, and consumers. Winners will be able to show a broad and deep commitment to sustainability by, for example, rethinking product design, implementing meaningful metrics, or putting into place policies that ensure sustainable practices internally and across their supply networks.
  3. New Workforce Award—Winners in this category will have come up with innovative ways to bring new workers with critically needed new skills into the workplace, and to allow them to productively collaborate with and learn from existing knowledge experts. Winning projects, for example, will involve education and training, knowledge management and transfer, and collaboration with educational institutions.
  4. Game-Changing Technologies Award—Winners in this category will have improved their competitiveness and efficiency by becoming aggressive early adopters of emerging technologies such as social networking, cloud computing, sensor networks, and mobile applications and infrastructure. Winning projects may also demonstrate the successful application of new tools and basic materials in the production process. Winning projects will not only contribute positively to enterprise performance, but they will also serve as examples of how these game-changing technologies will evolve and contribute in the future.
  5. Information Leadership Award—Winners in this category will have gained significant competitive and business benefits by implementing enterprise process improvements that deliver actionable, real-time visibility into critical business operations. Winning projects, for example, will allow manufacturers to create standard, integrated planning and production processes and to understand, integrate, and optimize a wide range of end-to-end business processes, including back-office operations, warehousing operations,  and customer-facing applications.
  6. Innovative Enterprise Award—Winners in this category will have accelerated product and process innovation through collaboration with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders; the implementation of standard, measurable processes; and the deployment of advanced technologies. Winning projects in this category will demonstrate positive impacts on operating results and process efficiencies.
  7. Operational Excellence Award—Winners in this category will have undertaken projects that transform production processes and systems with an eye toward reducing costs and enhancing agility. Winning projects, for example, will have used continuous improvement principles such as Lean manufacturing to streamline operations, or introduced new plant systems that enhance overall equipment effectiveness and enable traceability.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

  1. Manufacturing Entrepreneur Award—Winners in this category will be individuals who have been key drivers in launching a successful new manufacturing enterprise, from scratch or from within an existing business. Winning nominations will demonstrate an individual’s achievement in recognizing untapped business opportunities, developing a compelling business plan, and executing on the plan.
  2. Next-Generation Leadership & Culture Award—Winners in this category will have taken a leading role in transforming the culture of their organizations, creating enterprises that are suited to succeed in rapidly changing global markets. Winning nominations, for example, will recognize leaders who have successfully inspired their companies to excel in disciplines such as continuous improvement or customer service.
  3. Turnaround Award—Winners in this category will have led a significant transformation of their companies, enabling them to return to sound financial and operational footing. Winning nominations in this category, for example, will involve the creation of compelling new business models, the development of new markets, or the introduction of comprehensive operational changes.
  4. Advocacy Award—Winners in this category will have assumed an effective leadership role in re-enforcing the public perception of manufacturing as a vitally important driver of the economy and a nexus of attractive career opportunities. Winning nominations may involve outreach to schools, youth organizations, economic development organizations, and government.