USU's Influence on Business Spreads Through Mexico

The influence of Utah State University is spreading through Mexico.

In the College of Business there is an organization called the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing. Companies or organizations that apply to receive this nationally recognized prize must demonstrate to Shingo examiners that they meet a number of strict criteria to qualify for the award.

 

The Shingo Prize organization promotes a philosophy called “lean” that emphasizes the importance of showing respect for employees, while eliminating waste, saving money, increasing productivity and improving quality.

 

Ross Robson, the executive director of the Shingo Prize organization, announced in early March that it has entered into an agreement with the Monterrey campus of Tecnológico de Monterrey, a premier private university in North America that has 33 campuses throughout Mexico and Latin America.

 

“This agreement means that lean professionals in Mexico, trained by experts from USU, now can work with local companies to help them be more effective,” Robson said. “Mexico runs some of the most efficient factories in the world. The fact that so many of them are embracing this lean philosophy is evidence of the powerful impact it can have on a company.”

 

The College of Business at USU will continue to administer the North American Shingo Prize awards selection process that crosses state and national boundaries.

 

Tecnológico de Monterrey has another campus in Queretara that, since last year, has administered the prize in central Mexico. This agreement extends the existing scope of the Shingo Prize to allow businesses from practically all of Mexico’s industrialized states to participate in the State Shingo Prize. State-level partnerships in the United States have already been negotiated to create an opportunity for companies in 18 states in the United States to apply for state-level Shingo Prize awards, Robson said.

 

“This all emanates from the demonstrated creativity and visionary leadership in the College of Business at Utah State University,” Robson said. “By training other organizations to administer this prize, we can expand the influence of the lean philosophy down to the state level.”

 

Organizations that apply for the prize must pay a fee, even if they don’t succeed in receiving the prize. Those funds help pay the administrative costs of running the organization here and in Mexico.

 

The lean philosophy was originally articulated by Shigeo Shingo, an industrial engineer in Japan whose teachings have been key to Toyota’s success. In 1988 he came to USU and was honored with an honorary doctorate in business. The Shingo Prize organization was created not long after that visit.

 

Businesses in Mexico may apply for the award on a North American level, but most opt to go after top honors in Mexico before applying for the North American prize, Robson said.

 

Contact: Steve Eaton, 435-797-8640, cell 435-760-4884