Competition

In 1937, the plant in Bad Neustadt was founded by Siemens and has belonged to BSH Hausgeräte GmbH since 1996. The fact that the site has not gathered a bit of dust in all this time is not only due to the more than 2 million vacuum cleaner models that are produced here every year. With innovative ideas, the developers at the international Floor Care Competence Center ensure that the indispensable helpers in the household become even quieter, lower in emissions and more energy-efficient.

The family-owned company egeplast international produces innovative plastic pipes for underground pipeline infrastructure – for a secure basic supply of people with clean drinking water, with heat and electricity as well as for access to fast internet.

The egeplast Group also includes two other pipe production sites in Sweden and England.

At the beginning of September 2022, the foundation stone was laid at the headquarters in Greven for the egeGigaFab, a new production hall for Microduct pipes, which are required for nationwide broadband expansion (FttH/FttB) in Europe.

The new building is the largest investment in egeplast’s 114-year history.

With over 1.2 million combi steamers on the market, RATIONAL cooking systems are now standard in professional kitchens around the world. For almost 50 years, the claim has been to offer customers the best tools for cooking. The recipe for success: RATIONAL does not see itself purely as a machine manufacturer, but as an innovative solutions provider. To achieve this, the company relies on its employees. Based on the “U.i.U.® principle” (entrepreneur in the enterprise), RATIONAL encourages its employees to work independently, make decisions and take responsibility. Always with a view to the entire company and its goals. The RATIONAL Lean way of working ensures the anchoring of standardized, coordinated, processes and creates a culture for the continuous improvement of all processes. On the way to the intelligent factory, digitization is understood and used as a great opportunity. At RATIONAL, a green corporate philosophy has been in place from the very beginning. With the innovative cooking systems, ergonomics are improved and high savings in energy and water are achieved for customers. Sustainability plays a central role in all corporate decisions. And all for the one goal: highly satisfied customers.

The two plants in Friedrichshafen, the headquarters of Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems division, are, like the entire division, in the process of transforming from an engine manufacturer to a provider of integrated and sustainable total solutions. The aim here is to prepare the site for sustainable products and climate-neutral production. Initiatives in various dimensions such as footprint, make-or-buy, and digitization were successfully implemented in a very challenging supplier environment. A key success factor was the involvement of all employees in the change process at all times.

Factory Zug as high-performer… not just within BP factory network

Overview of guiding principles and factory key facts:

Focus on core-values

• Consolidation of value creation from five to one
  location in Switzerland
• Technologically challenging products
• Low manual value added

Leading factory for innovation
Supporting the global factory network with knowhow, technological expert know-how and implementation support (especially on automation and digitalization)

People engagement

• Strong focus on individual employee development
• Encouraging leaders and proactive change
• Empowering cross-functional collaboration

The Voith Group is a globally active technology group. With its broad portfolio of equipment, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the energy, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive markets. Founded in 1867, Voith is today one of Europe’s major family-owned companies with around 20,000 employees, 4.3 billion euros in sales and locations in over 60 countries around the world.

The Voith site in Garching near Munich was founded in 1962. The production site manufactures products for buses, trucks and off-road applications, both in the field of conventional driveline and electric driveline.

The Wilo Group is one of the world’s leading premium suppliers of pumps and pump systems for building services, water management and industry. Over the past decade, we have evolved from Hidden to Visible and Connected Champion. Today, around 8,200 employees work for Wilo worldwide. With innovative solutions, smart products and individual services, we move water: intelligently, efficiently and climate-friendly. With our products and solutions, processes and business models, we are already the digital pioneer in the industry.

Process and deadlines

Complete and submit questionnaire: by 31 May 2023

Selection of finalists: July 2023

Visits to finalists’ locations: July – August 2023

Selection of winners: September 2023

Individual evaluation reports for all participants: November 2023

Presentation of the Factory of the Year awards: First half-year 2024

You can download the questionnaire here.

The winners will be selected in two stages. Participating companies must complete a detailed questionnaire, which can be requested online. Taking part in the competition is free of charge.

The questionnaire asks for quantitative and qualitative information on typical factory performance data across the value chain. Leading award contenders are chosen based on this information and will receive a visit from an experienced Kearney audit team. The competition jury panel, comprising prominent experts from industry and research, then selects the winners on the basis of the questionnaire and the audit team’s on-site findings.

Parallel to this, all participants receive a detailed evaluation in the form of a confidential feedback report, which details their position in the competition and highlights possible improvement potential. We look forward to receiving your application!

Factory of the Year

• Excellence in the factory
• Strong KPIs and dynamic improvement across all performance dimensions

GEO Award

• Excellence throughout the value chain
• Exceptional value creation

Excellent Large Series Assembly

• Lean
• Short processing times
• Exceptional supply performance

Excellent Small Series Assembly

• Mastery of complexity
• Make to order or engineer to order

Excellent Production Network

• Exploitation of locations’ individual strengths
• Clearly defined location expertise profiles
• Global outlook and approach

Competitiveness by digitization

• Targeted use of digitalization solutions to boost efficiency

Excellent site development

• Continuous location development
• Investment in future technologies
• Employee development

Best Startup

The winners of the Startup Challenge succeeded in inspiring the conference audience with their vision of the factory of tomorrow. The Best Startup category is about creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and disruptive thinking – in anything from networked production solutions to robotics and process management.

As part of the “Factory of the Year”, a Startup Challenge is now taking place for the sixth time – this time in cooperation with Dassault Systèmes, InnoLab_bw and Kearney. Teams of founders will have the opportunity to pitch their solutions and ideas for production to the expert audience at the congress.

At the end, the audience will vote via app for the startup with the best solution. The winner will receive an award during the conference.

Please apply here.

Schedule

Until January 26, 2023: Application deadline
Mid-February 2023: You will be informed if you are allowed to participate in the pre-selection process
End of February 2023 Preselection (pitch during a video call)
March 22 and 23, 2023: The best startups pitch at the congress

Past winners

2022: Gestalt Robotics

2021: MotionMinors

2020: semodia

2019: Wandelbots

2018: KINEXON