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AME names Accuride plants as 2015 AME Excellence Award recipients

The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), Rolling Meadows, Ill., has named Accuride Erie Operations and Accuride Rockford Operations as the winners of a 2015 AME Excellence Award. The award recognizes North American manufacturing plants that have demonstrated excellence in manufacturing and business.

The AME assessment team highlighted Accuride Erie Operations’ continuous improvement philosophy, observing management driving a culture of metrics-based performance to satisfy customer needs. The assessors also praised the facility’s detailed level of planning of plan-for-every-part (PFEP), well-organized product development data, the focus on material flow improvements using value stream mapping and visual kanban pull processes, and the cooperation with the UAW union.

During the Accuride Rockford Operations site visit, the assessment team highlighted the plant’s application of visual scheduling boards, resulting in the launch of fourth-generation production pull boards, and the use of value stream mapping in the factory and for office processes. The assessment team praised the Rockford facility’s corporate and factory hoshin kanri (a method to capture and cement strategic goals), as well as the execution program tied to the associate incentive/bonus program. The assessment team also commended the Rockford facility’s partnership with a perishable-tooling supplier and effort to use 100 percent of tool life.

Both plants serve the North American commercial vehicle industry. Accuride Rockford Operations manufactures Gunite® brand brake drums, slack adjusters, and other wheel-end components. Accuride Erie Operations manufactures forged aluminum wheels.