Bernville, PA (October 31, 2019) — East Coast Erosion Control has been honored with the Transformation and Operational Excellence Award by the South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP). The SCMEP, an affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), operates under the US Department of Commerce to promote innovation and industrial competitiveness in today's increasingly demanding global economy.
The Transformation and Operational Excellence Award was presented to East Coast Erosion in recognition of “demonstrating to the business community real-world, bottom-line results achieved through the adoption of continuous improvement and/or operational excellence tools and techniques,” specifically, for internal development projects aimed to increase the system management, tracking, and quality control capabilities of key equipment. These efforts have made the Lake City, SC-facility one of the most efficient and technologically advanced erosion control blanket manufacturing facilities in the country. In addition to improving the system management and tracking, East Coast Erosion efforts identified opportunities to improve the operational flow within the facility. Lean manufacturing principles identified and applied resulted in production line advancements and greater automation. These efforts presented widespread advantages ranging from reduced waste to maximizing labor efficiency and increasing production. The efforts ultimately doubled production in the facility, while maintaining current staffing levels.
The projects effectively paired operational flow processes and principles with the latest software and technological advancements to create a manufacturing environment that is poised to lead the industry.
“Erosion control best practices in today’s world require quality and steadfast attention to every step of the process,” says Diane Smith, president. “We’re confident that we are making great strides to innovate and create facilities that set the pace in the industry.”
This award comes on the heels of East Coast Erosion Control’s 2018 iXchange Innovation Award from the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern PA, recognizing process improvements in the Pennsylvania manufacturing location.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster presented this award to East Coast Erosion Control at the Salute to Manufacturing Awards Luncheon on October 30, 2019. The luncheon is the anchor event of the 2019 SC Manufacturing Conference and Expo, the state’s largest manufacturing event.
East Coast Erosion Control has production facilities in Pennsylvania and South Carolina, with distributors throughout the world. For product or company information, visit www.ECErosion.com.
