Lean Award: «This is just the beginning.»

Last week, Feintool System Parts Europe received the Automotive Lean Production Award in the category «Business Unit Transformation». Volkswagen, Skoda, Witzenmann and Iveco were also among the winners of the prestigious award under the patronage of the automotive magazine «Automobil Produktion». The award ceremony was held as a hybrid event at Skoda’s Mlada Boleslav plant in the Czech Republic.

CEO Knut Zimmer said during the presentation of the award «we are at the beginning of a journey that never ends». After all, the cross-plant creation and consistent use of synergies and the efficient design of the entire value chain are tasks that have to be rethought again and again. Establishing holistic thinking principles at all levels and in all places is a huge task that is both necessary and complex, especially in times of significant change.

In this respect, the award ceremony is proof that Feintool is on the right track, but also an expression of the fact that it is part of Feintool’s DNA to anticipate changing customer demands and framework conditions with foresight. In his presentation, Dr. Winfried Blümel, Head of System Parts Europe, once again addressed the factors that contributed to the award. First and foremost are the employees. Thanks to a synchronized mindset, which must be supported by everyone in order to be successful, it has been possible to bring together units and plants that previously operated separately and to eliminate redundancies. «We asked ourselves the question: What works better in one plant than in the other? And how can we use this profitable know-how at other sites for greater efficiency for the benefit of our customers?»

It was among other things the more than 100 years of professional experience of all the plant managers that led to practical solutions, whether in terms of leaner processes, shorter throughput times or generally better quality. All in the spirit of the award: transformation to a learning organization in which the goals are understood and supported by everyone.

Report «Automobil Produktion» (only in german)