PALM BEACH, FL — The Great Recession and the green imperative have challenged manufacturers to find new ways to innovate, cut costs, discover markets, sell goods, and survive like never before. None has risen to the occasion better than the 12 companies that Managing Automation Media singled out last night as the crème de la crème of the 100 previously announced 2010 Progressive Manufacturing Award winners.
At the sixth-annual Progressive Manufacturing Awards gala ceremony here, Managing Automation Media crowned semiconductor maker Freescale and office furniture manufacturer Interior Concepts as the large and small Progressive Manufacturers of the Year. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist opened the evening with an address in which he espoused the importance of manufacturing to the Sunshine State and to the country.
MA also honored eight category “high achievers,” ranging from Solexant Corp., Bridge Publications, and Phoenix Logistics, to IBM, Cisco, Siemens, and Volvo. For all its well-publicized difficulties, Toyota also won a high achiever award for its sustainability leadership. Rounding out the list, MA bestowed its coveted “editors’ choice” distinction on Hyundai Steel Corp. and Symetrics Industries.