NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Oct. 4, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected to receive the 2005 Virginia Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing from the Virginia Manufacturers Association.
The company's Newport News sector will receive the award Oct. 5 during a dinner ceremony at the Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel in Portsmouth, Va.
The Shingo Prize recognizes organizations that use innovative manufacturing strategies and practices to achieve exceptional results. It also recognizes companies that develop lean manufacturing processes from the production floor to the business offices.
"It has taken a team effort at all levels of the organization to achieve this recognition," said Bob Gunter, senior vice president of operations at Northrop Grumman Newport News. "This award is the result of thousands of employees and their commitment and enthusiasm to the ongoing transformation of our sector to a lean enterprise."
A team of examiners from the Shingo program evaluated the Newport News sector's operations division in the areas of leadership, employee empowerment, culture and infrastructure, manufacturing vision, innovations, partnering with suppliers and customers, environmental practices, quality, cost and productivity improvement and business results. The site visit included interviews with more than 100 employees and visits to 38 work centers throughout the shipyard where lean processes have been implemented.
"Participation in this award program is a true testament to the commitment and dedication of the Newport News sector to becoming a world-class manufacturer," said Joe Croce, vice president of the Virginia Manufacturers Association. "The management, staff and production employees interviewed were genuinely excited about the progress they have made toward their lean-manufacturing goals. Manufacturing excellence is a continuous journey and Newport News has delivered many exceptional results and remarkable achievements."
The North American Shingo Prize was established in 1988 to promote awareness of lean-manufacturing concepts and to recognize companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico that achieve world-class manufacturing status. It is named for Japanese industrial engineer Shigeo Shingo who distinguished himself as one of the world's leading experts in improving manufacturing processes. The Virginia Shingo Prize, the state-level program, was established in 2003 to recognize Virginia organizations for achieving excellence in manufacturing, following the same criteria and standards of the North American program.
Northrop Grumman Newport News, headquartered in Newport News, Va., is the nation's sole designer, builder and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of only two companies capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines. Newport News also provides after-market services for a wide array of naval and commercial vessels. The Newport News sector employs about 19,000 people.