Seraph Launches the 2023 Operational Excellence Awards, Elevating Automotive Manufacturing in NA

DETROIT, MI, January 24, 2023 - Seraph, a global enterprise supply chain, operations and manufacturing consultancy with a prominent presence in the automotive sector, today announced the launch of the 2023 Operational Excellence Awards. The Awards will recognize automotive manufacturing facilities in North America at the top of their game across five categories. Nominations are open until March 17, followed by a June 15 event celebrating the finalists, at Chroma in Detroit.

“This award will bring the automotive industry together to reward and celebrate manufacturing excellence. We are developing an esteemed panel of judges who will award five manufacturing categories: Quality Excellence; HR Excellence; Logistics Excellence; Operational Excellence; and Overall Best Supplier,” said Thomas Kowal, president, Seraph.

Seraph Operational Excellence Award winners will receive recognition from a highly regarded panel of judges consisting of automotive experts who are at the top of their field, including:

● John Dunn, President, Fleet Vehicles and Services, The Shyft Group - a leader in specialty vehicle manufacturing
● Michael Fayhe, CEO, DB Shenker – a leader in supply chain management and logistics solutions
● Chris Grabmiller, CEO, Staffbright - an award-winning head-hunting organization
● Jim Barberetta, General Manager, Brose Tuscaloosa and Gloria Blanchard, HR Manager, Brose - the world's fourth-largest family-owned automotive supplier
● Kerry Curvey, HR Vice President, Purem – a leader in emission control systems and acoustic solutions

“The purpose of this award is to promote and encourage expansion of manufacturing in North America, as the consequences of globalization have created more risk in the supply chain. To do this, we need to continually improve, find ‘model areas’ and develop best practices in the industry,” said Thomas Kowal.

The awards assessment process consists of three application phases:

1. In the first phase, applicants must pre-register on the Seraph Operational Excellence Awards website. Once enrolled, each applicant will be reviewed by a Seraph team member to validate that their organization qualifies as an automotive supplier based in North America. Once validated, the applicant will receive a welcome letter with the link to submit their nomination application.

2. In phase two, the Seraph team will conduct an on-site audit at the top eight manufacturing facilities selected from phase one.

The top eight selected plant facilities will undergo an extensive evaluation to determine their operational excellence. Seraph will lead a comprehensive evaluation of: safety environment; cleanliness and order; visual management deployment; scheduling system effectiveness; product flow space use and material management; inventory work in progress (WIP) levels; human capital development; teamwork and motivation; equipment tooling state maintenance; ability to manage complexity and variability; supply chain integration; and quality system deployment.

3. In the third phase, the panel of judges will review the results of the plant evaluation to determine the five winners in the above categories.

“The Seraph Operational Excellence Awards provide an opportunity for top automotive suppliers to stand out, receive well-deserved recognition, set industry model standards, and ultimately distinguish themselves as a high-quality operation. After three years of adapting to overcome substantial global challenges, it’s the right time to celebrate high achievers in such a vital industry,” said Ambrose Conroy, founder and CEO, Seraph.

About Seraph
A global enterprise consulting firm that partners with business leaders to handle their most complex supply chain, operations and manufacturing challenges, delivering long-term operational and leadership improvements. Seraph has extensive on-site industry experience in the automotive, private equity, defense, medical device, electronics, energy infrastructure, and engineering sectors. The Seraph leadership team brings vast expertise across: crisis management, mergers, acquisitions, due-diligence, restructuring, turn-around services, product launches and logistics. Our four phase process has been proven to provide quick payback and positive ROI, which is measured throughout the customer engagement. Learn more at www.seraph.com and follow Seraph on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Ariane Wolff, Senior Vice President, Warner Communications
ariane@warnerpr.com