The Georgia Manufacturing Summit hosted the 4th Annual People of Manufacturing Awards on October 25, 2017 at the Cobb Galleria. These awards honored the people that exhibit excellence on a daily basis and have gone above and beyond to better their organization’s manufacturing operations.

“The People of Manufacturing Awards are designed to bring exposure and recognition to these leaders,” said Jason Moss, CEO of the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance. “We are excited to announce the winners for 2017.”

The winner for the Front Line Leadership Award was Global Project Lead for AGCO, Susanne Lauda. A native of Germany, Ms. Lauda worked on the external tank of the space shuttle. After becoming a naturalized citizen, she moved to Georgia and began a career with AGCO. She leads a team across three continents, implementing new manufacturing processes including product life cycling management smart factory operations. She is vice chair on the Women in Manufacturing in Georgia board and has been involved in raising $15,000 for Heifer International.

The winner for Plant Manager Award was Carroll Griffin, Domain Manager for ZF Gainesville.  Mr. Griffin has been with ZF for 17 years and manages budgets at three plants that combined have over $3 million in inventory. He is an active member of the Hall County Chamber, serving on the environmental health and safety committee and is also chairman of the Lanier Technical College Industrial Systems Advisory Committee.

The winner of the Team Safety Award was KaMin in Sandersville represented by Chuck Gheesling, Keith Everett, Tim Dominy, Jerome Alexander, Vinny Robinson, Bobby Waller, I.T. Veal, Ray Beggs and Brett Hendrix. The team focuses on clear and frequent communication with 41 employees staying safe on the job and they have nearly 9 consecutive years without an OSHA reportable accident.

The winner for Team Operational Excellence was the communication team from Leggett and Platt represented by Deborah Simmons, Jimmy Lowe, Dan Malcom, Juanita Williams, Judy Craven, Emma Williams and Rex Boynton. The team worked to create and implement a workable cell-phone policy and created a quarterly town hall meeting for the entire facility.  They work to improve safety, quality, production, financial and the staff’s feeling of belonging and family by enlisting leaders on the plant floor — not managers, but employees who are respected by other employees. Involving them in hiring decisions, training and culture.

Charlie Post, the CEO of TSI Solutions, was designated as the Awards Chairman and was responsible for appointing a panel of judges to select the winners. “The Georgia Manufacturing Alliance was established to promote, connect and educate manufacturers across the state,” said Mr. Post. “In support of that mission, the People of Manufacturing Awards was established to recognize the hard work, talents, and achievements of those individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to their company, their co-workers, and the Georgia manufacturing community.