Applications Surge for South Carolina Manufacturing Awards; Judging Panel Named

Dec. 5, 2012 - PRLog -- Dozens of applications have been submitted from across South Carolina for the 2013 Silver Crescent Awards for Manufacturing Excellence (http://www.salutetomanufacturing.org/), the acclaimed annual program honoring the achievements and contributions of South Carolina’s leading manufacturers.  Meanwhile, an illustrious panel of national manufacturing experts has been named to select which companies will earn the state’s top manufacturing award.

The Silver Crescent Award is the most prestigious award that a South Carolina manufacturer can receive. Presented annually by the Silver Crescent Foundation, its partners and the statewide manufacturing Community, the Award recognizes the most excellent small, medium and large manufacturing operations demonstrating superior performance in 7 Crescents of Excellence -- citizenship, employee engagement, customer satisfaction, environmental stewardship, innovation, financial performance and commitment to longevity in South Carolina.  Past Silver Crescent Award recipients include such notables as Robert Bosch, Bridgestone-Firestone, BorgWarner, Alcoa, Sonoco, and GE Energy.

“We are pleased to see nominations from all across South Carolina – Lowcountry, Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate – representing technology to textiles, food to automotive, large enterprises and smaller organizations,” said Tony Smith, president of the Silver Crescent Foundation.  “We are excited to honor those organizations which are leading the way in advancing our state’s manufacturing vitality.”

An exceptional panel of judges has been named to determine winners for the 2013 Silver Crescent Awards, Smith added.  National manufacturing leaders who will select the honorees include:

·         William (Bill) Baker is founder and president of Speed to Excellence, a cultural change consulting firm, and former knowledge management and benchmarking champion for Raytheon Company.  He led Texas Instruments/Defense Systems Electronics Group to the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1992.    

·         Robert "Doc" Hall is Professor Emeritus, Operations Management, at Indiana University, and a founding member of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME).  The author of six books on manufacturing excellence, he is a recipient of AME's Lifetime Achievement Award and a judge for the auto industry’s PACE Award.

·         Glenn Marshall leads Supply Chain Quality at Newport News Shipbuilding in Norfolk Virginia, and is Lean and Six Sigma Certified.  He is co-founder of Benchmarking Community of Practice and the Director for the Senate Productivity & Quality Award for the State of Virginia.

·         Rebecca Morgan is founder and president of Fulcrum Consulting Works, Inc. with experience in operations, supply chain management, accounting and information systems, and strategic planning.  She is certified as a Fellow by the Association for Operations Management (APICS).

·         Burgess Oliver is founder and president of Transition Management Services and an expert in developing team-based work units. His experience includes electronics, metal fabrication, re-manufacturing, logistics and high volume manufacturing. He was formerly VP/GM for Post Market Services Worldwide with Nortel.

·         John Puckett is president and founder of Visions of Excellence, a management consulting firm focusing on self-directed work teams, lean manufacturing, Kaizen facilitation and cultural transformation in the industrial arena. He has held management positions with RCA Corp., Teledyne and GTE, and co-founded XEL Communications, recognized by Industry Week as one of America's Top 10 Plants.  

To be considered for honors, companies must first submit an Intent to Apply form, a one-page form that can be filled out in under two minutes by any manufacturer or partner/vendor of a manufacturer indicating their decision to proceed with the process.  Once submitted, the Intent form will be acknowledged by the Silver Crescent Foundation and a nomination package sent to each candidate company.  Application forms and guidelines are available online at www.SaluteToManufacturing.org.  All nominations must be submitted by December 31, 2012.  Nominations may be submitted by companies directly or by third parties, and will be evaluated for completeness and ranked by a review panel from the Silver Crescent Foundation based solely on responses received.

Top companies will be honored on March 21, 2013 at the Salute To Manufacturing Awards Luncheon at the TD Convention Center in Greenville, South Carolina.  Awards will be presented in the Small, Midsized and Large Manufacturer Categories.  A private best-practices forum will precede the luncheon.

Presented annually by The Silver Crescent Foundation, the 2013 Silver Crescent Awards are co-sponsored by SCRA, CPM Federal Credit Union, and by SC Biz News, LLC.  Sponsorship opportunities are also available for the awards luncheon and best-practices forum.

“We want to encourage as many eligible manufacturers, or individuals with supplier-partners to manufacturers, to consider nominating a manufacturer for consideration in this important honors program,” said Smith.  “By being nominated, they can benefit from expanded awareness of their organization, networking with top manufacturing executives, positive employee morale and regional/national recognition.  It’s a great opportunity for Palmetto State manufacturers.”

For more on the Silver Crescent Awards or the Salute to Manufacturing Luncheon, or to nominate an organization, visit www.SaluteToManufacturing.org  or contact Sharon Halsey at (803) 657-6183.