Augsburg/Germany, March 2018 – The trade newspaper "Produktion" and the management consulting company A.T. Kearney have chosen WashTec as the 2017 award winners in the "outstanding site development" category as part of the "Factory of the Year" industrial competition. The benchmark competition was introduced in 1992 and is aimed at the manufacturing sector in Germany and Europe. Prof. Günther Schuh opened the two-day congress, which was rounded off on the evening of 6th March with the dinner speech by Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg. WashTec was presented with the award at this ceremony.
The team of judges from A.T. Kearney came to the conclusion that WashTec "delivers a thoroughly convincing performance in terms of value creation, cost efficiency and agility". In addition, the outstanding performance transformation was praised with "impressive results and clear objectives and the roadmap for the years ahead". Contributory factors included a management team with pronounced cross-functional thinking and effective methods as well as the company's clear mission statement as guidance for action in all areas.
"For all the team members, the award serves as confirmation of the past years", explains Jörg Mielke, factory manager in Augsburg. In 2015, it became clear that some processes had to be optimised if we were to meet the challenges of the current and future order situation. This is how projects along the supply chain were defined and implemented. Among other things, WashTec invested in supply chain monitoring and inventory controlling tools. "This allows us to adapt swiftly to customer requirements", Mielke sums up with reference to the measures implemented. "Continually questioning and improving our products has also convinced our customers", says Mielke. The Augsburg plant has seen a 50% increase in its throughput over the past three years.
About WashTec: Based in Augsburg, Germany, the WashTec Group (www.washtec-uk.com) is the world's leading supplier of innovative car wash solutions. WashTec employs more than 1,800 people and is represented through wholly owned subsidiaries in the core markets of Europe, the United States and Canada, as well as in China and Australia. WashTec also has a presence in some 70 countries through independent sales partners.
