ITT rewards its employees for outstanding quality each year since 1971

ITT headquarters has announced this year’s winner of the Ring of Quality Gold Award. It has been given to the project team for the new Lowara production facility in Poland. The team was chosen for its outstanding work in establishing, structuring, managing and running the facility.

 

Originated in 1971, the Ring of Quality represents one of the most prestigious forms of recognition in ITT. The Ring of Quality Gold Award honors individuals and teams across all areas of ITT, regardless of level or function, that have shown outstanding quality and leadership or performance in their work.

 

The winning project involved the construction of a new building to house production lines moved from the Italian site in Montecchio, and the consolidation of the Polish sales office and distribution center formerly located in Katowice.

 

The plant was successfully built in Strzelin, a small city located in the south of Wroclaw, one of the Special Legislation areas in Poland. The go-live was given on October 1^st 2007 and all start-up activities were completed in 2008. The completion of the project in Poland represents a good example of integration, team working, continuous improvement and diversity.

 

From the outset and through all stages of the project, the ITT Poland facility was designed according to the Lean Manufacturing approach. It is a tool used daily to manage production in a proactive way through systems and indicators such as Kan-ban or OTP (On Time Performance). In addition, a “customer oriented” culture was implemented in the deployment of all services.

 

Key process indicators including Labor Productivity, OTP, Inventory Turn and Defect Part Delivered, allow the production processes to be monitored on a daily basis. Production and logistic teams are able to lead business activities more effectively and meet the demands of the market.

 

Continuous process improvement also concerns human resource management. The company is committed to the deployment of a ‘development competencies plan’ which ensures skilled resources are available to face the challenging goals of the future.

 

The team has successfully met its deadlines and budgets. Now the Polish site has more than 100 employees; the local management runs three production lines; and the site is able to autonomously deliver product volumes with guaranteed quality. This is through the application of the best production processes already implemented at the ITT Lowara HQ manufacturing plant in Montecchio Maggiore (Vicenza).

 

The guaranteed quality at the Polish site has a positive impact on customers who have visited the premises. Our customers, just like in the past, can see their needs safeguarded in terms of delivery time, efficiency and quality.