16 December 2016
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Pictured left to right are: Ritsuo Shingo, President of the Institute of Management Improvement; Ken Snyder, Executive Director, Shingo Institute; Cathal Reilly, Engineering Director, Boston Scientific, Cork; Theresa Moloney, Shingo Project Manager, Boston Scientific, Cork and Dan Zaic, MSVP Operations, Boston Scientific.
Boston Scientific, Cork has received the 2016 Shingo Award for ‘Excellence in Manufacturing’ from the Shingo Institute, part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University. The Shingo Prize is based on a thorough assessment of organisational culture and operations and was awarded in recognition of the site’s ongoing commitment to operational excellence throughout all levels of the organisation.
Michael F. Mahoney, Chairman and CEO, Boston Scientific said, “this is an exceptional accomplishment for the Boston Scientific, Cork facility that reflects the team’s commitment to continuous improvement and delivering process and product innovations that improve quality and increase efficiency”.
Sean Gayer, Vice-President, Operations, Boston Scientific, Cork said, “we are honoured to receive the Shingo Award, which is recognised around the world as a symbol of enterprise excellence. This achievement is the result of a team commitment to challenge ourselves to drive quality, increase efficiency and create value for customers by delivering innovative processes and products that help patients around the world.”
Ken Snyder, Executive Director, The Shingo Institute said, “the Shingo Award is our most prestigious honour to recognise companies that demonstrate broad application of lean principles across core business processes and a leadership commitment to build and sustain a culture of continuous improvement. We congratulate Boston Scientific for establishing a strong culture anchored on these principles and for empowering all employees to play a role in driving business success.”
The Boston Scientific, Cork facility currently employs 800 people and manufactures products that treat conditions in the cardiac and peripheral vasculature and gastrointestinal and urinary tracts. With an annual output of more than five million medical device units per year, the Cork site has reduced quality incidents and plant cycle times while increasing productivity. Additionally, the site is a zero landfill plant with 84% direct recycling.
Boston Scientific’s Cork site was established in 1998, and produces a diversified portfolio of products that serve several divisions of the corporation. The site combines leading edge manufacturing technologies with the capability to quickly commercialise new products for its division customers. Major businesses supported include products manufactured for Peripheral Intervention, Endoscopy and Interventional Cardiology.
