MEI Queretaro Receives International Recognition for Enterprise Excellence
Mexico (PRWEB) November 13, 2013 -- The Shingo Institute, part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, has awarded MEI Queretaro, a manufacturing facility in Mexico, with the Shingo Silver Medallion.
“Receipt of the Shingo Silver Medallion signifies an organization’s strong use of tools, techniques and mature systems for business improvement,” said Robert Miller, executive director at the Shingo Institute. “They are organizations that are beginning to align their internal behavior with principles and are well on their way to achieving true operational excellence.”
The Shingo Silver Medallion is the second of three awards bestowed on organizations by the Shingo Institute. The highest achievement is The Shingo Prize.
MEI Queretaro is responsible for 97 percent of the worldwide production of electronic bill acceptors, coin mechanisms, and other unattended transaction systems. The facility supplies major global corporations such as The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo and NCR Corporation.
"We have been working for many years to improve processes, systems and metrics, but certainly, since we started to work with the Shingo model our people immediately experienced more clarity,” said Hugo Avila, plant director.
“Everybody knows what their contributing metrics are, but most importantly, we all know that the "what" (metric) must be supported by the "how" (behavior),” said Francisco Martin del Campo, continuous improvement manager. “Consequentially, we will not only reach short-term results but a sustainable business through time. I strongly believe company culture, driven by systems that are designed to create the proper behaviors, is the key element to reach operational excellence and business success. And this is now how MEI works in a consistent manner."
MEI Queretaro began what it calls its “lean journey” – a term that refers to Toyota’s Production System known for creating more efficiency in its operations while simultaneously increasing quality – in 2001. Through its “lean” efforts, MEI Queretaro has experienced, among other improvements, an 80-percent improvement in “out-of-box” quality, a 75-percent improvement in its stock defect rate, a 37-percent improvement in manufacturing fixed expenses and has been rated Coke North America’s #1 Supplier for two years in a row.
By “challenging” or applying for an award, organizations invite a group of accomplished professionals and trained examiners from the Shingo Institute to thoroughly review their culture and operations. The examiners select the organizations they think are worthy of recognition.
“In providing recognition, the Shingo Institute invites organizations to challenge early in their implementation of improvement efforts,” Miller said. “Doing so provides them valuable feedback to help accelerate their implementation. By understanding the principles we teach, organizations can begin to proactively change their culture. Culture is the key to sustainable enterprise excellence.”
MEI Queretaro will receive the Shingo Silver Medallion at the Awards Ceremony and Gala during the 26th International Shingo Conference, May 5-9, 2014 in Sandusky, Ohio. The awards gala is the conclusion to this five-day event featuring a selection of workshops, plant tours, keynote speakers and breakout sessions designed to provide ongoing knowledge, insights and experience for organizations in their pursuit of operational excellence.
About the Shingo Institute
Housed at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, the Shingo Institute is named after Japanese industrial engineer Shigeo Shingo. Dr. Shingo distinguished himself as one of the world’s thought leaders in concepts, management systems and improvement techniques that have become known as the Toyota Business System. Drawing from Dr. Shingo’s teachings and years of experience working with organizations throughout the world, the Shingo Institute teaches the application of principles that are necessary to achieve sustainable results. It also awards and recognizes organizations that demonstrate an exceptional culture that continually strives for improvement and progress. Those interested in more information or in registering to attend the 26th International Shingo Conference may visit http://www.shingo.org.
About MEI
MEI is one of the world's leading manufacturers of electronic bill acceptors, coin mechanisms and other unattended transaction systems. Today, MEI electronic payment systems are relied upon for more than 1 billion transactions per week in 90 countries worldwide.
MEI payment systems' technology is considered the most reliable choice in hundreds of real-world applications and has earned the best performance rating in the market.
MEI headquarters are based in Malvern, Pa.
Those interested in more information may visit http://www.meigroup.com.
Cory Keate, Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, +1 (435) 797-0771, [email protected]
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