VIBCO Vibrators Is Named As A Winner of the Managing Automation 2009 Progressive Manufacturing 100 Awards
VIBCO Vibrators' "lean revolution" earns it a place among this year's Progressive Manufacturing 100 Award winners. VIBCO's key accomplishments include dramatic improvements in on-time delivery, productivity, quality and inventory management.


WYOMING, RI, May 14, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- VIBCO Vibrators will be honored at the Progressive Manufacturing Awards Gala June 11, 2009 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Sarasota, Florida. VIBCO was selected as a winner of the fifth annual Progressive Manufacturing 100 Awards, selected by Managing Automation Media, a Thomas Publishing Company, LLC publication. VIBCO designs, manufacturers and markets a comprehensive range of electric, pneumatic and hydraulic vibrators for construction and industrial use.

"We're excited to be recognized for our lean revolution," says Karl Wadensten, VIBCO President. "Everybody here has a real passion for lean and the whole VIBCO Vibration Nation team is unbelievable. We call it 'Learning to See' . That means that each person here is learning to recognize and eliminate waste wherever it lives. Sometimes it is small thing that saves a few minutes each day - one employee simply cut off the unused end of a monkey wrench so she didn't have to flip the tool over to find the right fit. Sometimes it's a big thing like creating a new program that reduces set-up times on an expensive machine. The important thing is that each and every team member has learned to see waste and now has a tool kit for eliminating it."

VIBCO trains its entire workforce in lean methodologies and is actively identifying and eliminating waste through improvement projects. All facets of the organization are affected: machining, assembly, shipping and receiving, marketing, sales, customer service, engineering, purchasing, finance and supply chain.

Some key achievements include:
• Setup time on CNC equipment reduced from 2.5 hours to 10 minutes
• Ontime delivery is now 99% same day, next day shipping
• Quality improved 80%
• Productivity increase in selected work cells as much as 300%
• Inventory reduced by 40% (over $1,000,000) over 2 years
• Work in Progress (WIP) inventory turning 88 times per year

"In the face of one of the worst economic downturns in history, these winning companies dramatically underscore how the manufacturing industry will not only get through this period but emerge in an even stronger position once a recovery takes hold," said David R. Brousell, Editor-in-Chief of Managing Automation Media. "The projects that enabled these companies to become PM100 winners reflect great creativity and inventiveness, a determined willingness to take risk, and an enduring resilience to continually improve every aspect of their business. These companies are leading the way to a better future for all industry."

An independent judging panel chaired by David R. Brousell, Editor-in-Chief, Managing Automation Media, and Jeff Moad, Executive Editor, Managing Automation, reviewed project nominations. Judges included:

• Lisa Bodell, CEO, FutureThink
• Tim Hanley, Vice Chairman and U.S. Process & Industrial Products Leader, Deloitte & Touche LLP
• Brad Heath, President, VirTex Assembly Services, Inc. (PM Winner)
• Ivan Hovey, Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) Manager, Freescale Semiconductor
• James M. Joyner, Director of Lean, Quality & Service, Card Monroe
• Jay Lee, Univ. of Cincinnati, Ohio Eminent Scholar & L.W. Scott Alter Chair Professor Dept. of Mechanical Eng.
• Paul E. Martin, Global Chief Information Officer, Rexam Plc (2005 Award Winner)
• Robert Parker, VP, Research, Manufacturing Insights
• Maureen Steinwall, President, Steinwall Inc. (2006 Award Winner)
• Joe Tocci, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, Intertape Polymer Group
• Steven Vidakovic, Technology and Knowledge Integration, Global Supply Chain, Pfizer Inc. (2007 Award Winner)
• Ray Wang, Vice President and Principal Analyst, Forrester Research
• Mark Yatskievych, Manager, Technical Support, General Dynamics (2008 Progressive Manufacturer of the Year)
• Emily Stover DeRocco, President, Manufacturing Institute, Senior Vice President National Association of Manufacturers
• David R. Brousell, Editor-in-Chief, Managing Automation Media

The PM100 Winners will be honored and presented with their awards at the Progressive Manufacturing Awards Gala to be held on the last day of the Progressive Manufacturing Summit 2009: Redefining the Business of Manufacturing in Turbulent Economic Times, June 9-11, at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Florida. More than 200 manufacturing technology executives are expected to attend. In addition to presenting the awards to the PM 100 Winners, Managing Automation Media will announce at the Gala Dinner High Achievers and Sub-Category Winners in each of the 8 disciplines as well as the 2009 Progressive Manufacturers of the Year at both a large and small company.

About Managing Automation Media
Managing Automation Media, a division of Thomas Publishing Company, LLC, provides a complete set of decision-support informational tools for executives and technology decision-makers at progressive manufacturers — companies that are using information and automation technologies to transform their businesses and create a sustainable competitive advantage. In North America with Managing Automation, and now also in EMEA with Manufacturing Executive, they deliver access to the most influential decision-makers in manufacturing. Additional information can be found at managingautomationmedia.com.

Toll Free in US:(800) 633-0032
Toll Free in Canada: (800) 465-9709
Email: vibrators@vibco.com
Web: www.vibco.com
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About VIBCO Vibrators

Founded in 1962, VIBCO Vibrators designs, manufacturers and markets a comprehensive range of heavy-duty electric, pneumatic and hydraulic vibrators for construction and industrial use. The company also designs, manufactures and markets a complete line of vibratory plate compactors and rollers. The company is headquartered in Wyoming, RI, USA. For more details and contact information, go to www.vibco.com.

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Press Release Contact Information:

Linda Kleineberg
VIBCO Vibrators
Marketing Manager
75 Stilson Road
Wyoming, RI
USA 02898
Voice: 800-633-0032
Fax: 401-539-2584
Website: Visit Our Website