Company wins award for operations

Singers get Grammys. Actors get Oscars. Manufacturers get a Shingo.

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Annette M. Drowlette/Staff

Westy Bowen, the vice president of quality and Six Sigma certification at E-Z-GO talks about the award the company received.

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Annette M. Drowlette/Staff

E-Z-GO worker Terry Griffin works on the motor line for the RXV golf cart. E-Z-GO was awarded the Shingo Prize.

Augusta-based E-Z-Go announced Thursday that it is a recipient of The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence, named for the mastermind behind Toyota's manufacturing system.

E-Z-Go President Kevin Holleran said the company began to embrace the lean manufacturing philosophy, which emphasizes eliminating waste and working more efficiently, five years ago, when it faced diminishing market share and profitability.

The international award recognizes companies that achieve world-class performance and promote lean operational concepts.

The south Augusta golf cart and utility vehicle maker was evaluated by a team of professionals with expertise across all business functions, Mr. Holleran explained.

"This has truly been a long and rewarding, if at times difficult, journey for E-Z-Go. Five years ago when we started this journey to lean, this was a very different company. Frankly, it was a company facing a lot of serious challenges," Mr. Holleran said. "Over the past five years, we have made massive improvements to operations and processes across the entire organization."

Since 2006, the company has reduced energy consumption by 10 percent and natural gas consumption by 8 percent. Plant water consumption has also decreased by more than 85 percent over the past six years. In addition, the company has reduced absenteeism by 36 percent, said Westy Bowen, vice president of quality and Six Sigma certification at E-Z-Go.

E-Z-Go, a Textron Inc. company, has three manufacturing assembly lines and 1,000 employees in Augusta. The company has six branch locations nationwide.

The Shingo Prize was established in 1988 by Dr. Shigeo Shingo, a leading expert in manufacturing processes and an architect of the Toyota Production System. The prize is administered by the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University and is its highest level of recognition.

Reach LaTina Emerson at (706) 823-3227 or latina.emerson@augustachronicle.com.