A 2006 Shingo award went to the company’s production facilities in Mexico City, Mexico. The 180,000-square-foot plant supplies brake and fuel-line “bundles” for a number of leading auto manufacturers, including DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen. It also produces fuel modules for service and automotive aftermarket applications.
Referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Manufacturing” by Business Week magazine, the Shingo Prize is given annually to manufacturers in the United States, Canada and Mexico that deliver world-class performance through lean principles and techniques in core manufacturing and business processes. It is named for Dr. Shigeo Shingo, credited with the development of the Toyota Production System.
Previous TI Automotive facilities which have won the Shingo Prize include its Cartersville, Ga., plant in 2004 and the company’s Caro, Mich., and New Haven, Mich., plants in 2003. In addition, TI Automotive’s Greeneville, Tenn., facility was a finalist in 2004.
Hector Mijares, plant manager of TI Automotive’s Mexico City plant, received the award from Ross Robson, director of the Shingo Prize during recent ceremonies at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, at Covington, Ky.
“Our rigorous commitment to quality, lean manufacturing and continuous improvement has produced impressive world-class parts-per-million trends, on- time delivery performance and inventory reduction rates,” says Mijares. “This facility often has been cited a number of times for quality performance and we’re especially honored to have been recognized with a Shingo Prize.”
TI Automotive’s Mexico City plant has nearly 500 employees and has achieved ISO/TS 16949 certification, as well as ISO 14001 environmental certification. The facility also has received Ford Q1 recognition for quality performance.
The facility is dedicated to community and environmental issues and operates under TI Automotive’s company-wide Common Sense Manufacturing system.
“To achieve our lean-manufacturing goals, we rely on our employees,” Mijares says. “They are key to our continued success. Their commitment, dedication and creative ideas have improved our business significantly. The Mexico City plant is now one of TI Automotive’s best performers in North America.”
Administered by the College of Business at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, the Shingo Prize program evaluates companies on key activities and results over at least three years in five areas: leadership culture and infrastructure; manufacturing strategies and system integration; non- manufacturing support functions; quality, cost and delivery; and customer satisfaction and profitability. All winners have made teamwork and continuous improvement an integral part of their culture.
Mijares notes that current models using parts produced at the Mexico City plant include DaimlerChrysler’s PT Cruiser and Dodge Ram; Ford’s Fiesta Ikon
and F-Series pickups; GM’s Chevrolet Chevy, Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne, and the Volkswagen New Beetle, Jetta and Bora.
TI Automotive is the world’s leading supplier of fluid storage, transfer and delivery systems including brake, fuel and air conditioning applications. Its global headquarters is located in Oxford, England, while its North American operations are based in Warren, Mich. With annual sales of approximately $2.3 billion, the company employs over 20,000 people at more than 130 facilities in 29 countries on six continents.
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