DAYTON, OHIO –– LVI, one of the preeminent providers of third-party logistics and supply chain support to the U.S. military and a division of LION, was honored as the Progressive Manufacturer of the Year for small and medium-sized enterprises at the seventh annual Manufacturing Leadership Summit in Palm Beach, FL.  Winners of the Progressive Manufacturer of the Year awards, one large and one small/medium sized company, were recognized for having demonstrated mastery of multiple PM 100 categories. The award further validates LVI’s excellence in the use of transformational business thinking and advanced technologies to achieve outstanding results.

LVI was recognized for its Rapid Improvement and Optimization project focused on the US Army 3PL contract awarded by the Defense Logistics Agency – Troop Support.  The project transformed LVI’s supply chain by applying Lean and Six Sigma principles and implementing technologies that fundamentally changed its operating paradigm, cost structure, and ultimately competitive position in the market.  The project delivered a 300% annual return on investment.

LION Senior Vice President, Terry Smith, accepted the award for LVI.   Commenting on the project Smith stated, “We benchmarked service cost elements, industry best practices, and world class performance metrics.  Then we embarked on a nearly 2-year sojourn that resulted in the establishment of a new operating paradigm coupled with process and information system re-alignments and the relocation of our facility.  In the end we achieved a significant operating cost reduction, an equally significant increase in productivity, and greatly enhanced competitiveness that paved the way to victory on the new contract.   This award is a tribute to the project team and our people on the ground who executed the project plan.  We had ambitious goals and they attacked them without flinching.  I’m thankful for their tremendous effort and proud of the success they achieved on this project.”

“Lion Vallen’s Rapid Improvement Optimization Project demonstrates what a medium-size manufacturer can achieve when it is willing to listen to its customers, employees, and suppliers and boldly reinvent key business processes,” said David R. Brousell, Editor-in-Chief at Managing Automation and Manufacturing Executive. “The winning Lion Vallen project not only took cost out of the company’s entire supply chain, it enabled Lion Vallen to win against much larger competitors. This should provide a lesson and an inspiration for all manufacturers.”

The awards are sponsored by Manufacturing Enterprise Communications, Inc., producers of the Manufacturing Leadership Summit and publishers of Managing Automation magazine.    The PM100 award winners, selected by a panel of independent judges, recognize top projects from best-in-class companies across the globe, where scope of mastery, degree of business integration, and use of technology were particularly noteworthy.  Awards are given in eight disciplines.  Past and present PM100 award winners include such notable companies as Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal, IBM, Volvo, Toyota, General Motors and Boeing.

For more information about LVI’s award-winning project, visit http://pm100.managingautomation.com/lion-vallen-industries/

About LION and LVI

For more information on LION products and services, visit the new corporate website at www.lionprotects.com. Interact with LION at www.lionconnects.com.

LION Inc. is a 113-year-old, family owned company based in Dayton, Ohio, USA that has a legacy and ongoing vision of introducing new products and services that are designed to ensure the health, safety and performance of the first responders who serve our communities and our country. LION continually delivers game-changing innovations in PPE designed to best prepare firefighters, EMS teams and law enforcement officers for the new dangers and hazards they face each day. LION also designs paradigm-shifting supply chain and logistics programs that best equip our warfighters for the rigors of training and the challenges of battle. LION makes sure the people who protect us are more prepared for action.

About Manufacturing Enterprise Communications

Manufacturing Enterprise Communications, a division of Thomas Publishing CO. LLC, the leading information resource for manufacturing executives, produces industry-specific information for global manufacturing markets. Manufacturing Enterprise Communications provides critical content to innovative and forward-thinking manufacturing companies that use enterprise systems and information and automation technologies to transform their businesses and create a sustainable competitive advantage. Manufacturing Enterprise Communications powers the Managing Automation magazine and Website; the Manufacturing Executive Website, Manufacturing Leadership Council, and Manufacturing Executive Leadership Journal; the Manufacturing Leadership Summit; and the PM100 Awards program. For more information visit www.manufacturingleadershipsummit.com or email summit@thomaspublishing.com.