2017 Manufacturing Leadership Awards Winners Announced

Merck, Dow, GE, Ford, Johnson & Johnson and others on the Manufacturing 4.0 vanguard to be honored at the Manufacturing Leadership Summit

SANTA CLARA, California, March 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan's Manufacturing Leadership (ML) Council announced world-class manufacturing companies and individual leaders today as winners of the 2017 Manufacturing Leadership Awards. ML Awards winners and their partners will be honored on June 14, 2017, at a gala celebration that concludes the 13^th annual Manufacturing Leadership Summit in Huntington Beach, Calif. In addition, the ML High Achiever Awards, ML Manufacturers of the Year, the Manufacturing Leader of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award winner will be announced at the gala.

Now in its 13^th year, the ML Awards program honors organizations and individuals that are shaping the future of global manufacturing. Nominations are entered into 13 categories and evaluated and scored by a panel of expert judges. Twelve of the ML Awards categories are for outstanding projects by a manufacturing company. One category recognizes the achievements of individual manufacturing leaders.

The 91 projects and individuals on the list of ML Awards winners represent small and large enterprises in a wide range of manufacturing markets. They all leverage best-in-class processes, technologies and engaged teams to distinguish themselves from the competition. Among the winners were Merck & Co., Inc. for Big Data and Analytics Leadership, Lexmark International, Inc., for IoT in Manufacturing Leadership, and Johnson & Johnson for Operational Excellence Leadership.

"Winners of the 2017 ML Awards have proven vision and innovation are alive and well in the manufacturing industry," said Global Vice President and Editorial Director and co-founder of the Manufacturing Leadership Council David R. Brousell. "By embracing the technology-driven transformation that we call Manufacturing 4.0, innovating new business models, and leveraging engaged workforces, these leaders are laying the groundwork for a new era of greater productivity in manufacturing."

The ML Summit is a unique, interactive gathering of manufacturing leaders from around the world. The theme for the 2017 Summit is "Manufacturing 4.0 in Action." Featured speakers include Alicia Boler Davis, executive vice president, Global Manufacturing, General Motors; Bart Talloen, vice president, Product Supply Strategy & Deployment, Johnson & Johnson; Michele D'Alessandro, vice president and CIO, Manufacturing IT, Merck & Co., Inc.; and Maciej Kranz, vice president, Corporate Strategic Innovation Group, Cisco Systems.