Have you ever set a really difficult goal? We have. Our goal is to earn The Shingo Prize. “The Shingo Prize,” you say? The Shingo Prize is awarded to organizations that demonstrate a culture where principles of operational excellence are deeply embedded into the thinking and behavior of all leaders, managers, and associates.

So, what’s the “big deal?” What makes this Shingo Prize so important?  The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence is a non-profit organization housed at Utah State University and named after Japanese engineer Shigeo Shingo.  Dr. Shingo is one of the world’s foremost leaders in concepts, management systems, and improvement techniques that have become known as the Toyota Business System, originally implemented by Toyota. 

The goal of The Shingo Prize is to create excellence and continual improvements in organizations through the application of principles and new functions that speed up the flow of value, support and empower people, and transform organizational culture.

In short, it encourages businesses to be more efficient without waste in materials or time.  With a more environmental approach to business practices, and a simpler way of manufacturing for employees, everything becomes more positive. Since the goals of these improvement techniques align with our own goals to continually improve and innovate, Lifetime is striving to earn this prestigious award.

Recognition of these business practices is given every year to companies from around the world at The Shingo Prize International Conference and Awards Ceremony. Prize winners come from any industry and any part of the world and awards are given for operational excellence, as well as research and writing that contributes to principles of operational excellence.

There are four disciplines of Operational Excellence and we, here at Lifetime, hosted the first of the four discipline workshops which is “Discover”. Thirty individuals from across the nation met at our facility for two days a few weeks ago to learn how such a goal is achieved.  In the “Discover” workshop, the attendees learned more about the principles of operational excellence through group activities and an assessment of Lifetime's facilities.  Hosting this workshop allowed Lifetime to accomplish milestones needed for the Shingo Prize and helped strengthen our relationships with other businesses throughout the country.