2026 Manufacturing Leadership Award Finalists and Winners
The National Association of Manufacturers’ Manufacturing Leadership Council recognizes these world-class manufacturing companies and individual leaders for their outstanding efforts.
2026 Manufacturing Leadership Awards
Congratulations, 2026 Manufacturing Leadership Award Finalists and Winners!
The 2026 finalists for the Manufacturing Leadership Awards represent some of the most exciting and impactful digital transformation work happening across manufacturing today. From breakthrough technologies to bold leadership, this year’s group showcases how organizations are turning innovation into real-world results that drive performance, resilience and growth.
Finalists took the stage at the Manufacturing Leadership Awards Gala on June 24, 2026, at the Fairmont Princess in Scottsdale, Arizona, where winners were announced for all project and individual categories, the Future of Manufacturing Award, Manufacturers of the Year and Manufacturing Leader of the Year.
2026 Top Honors
Rheem and General Motors Named Top Winners
Rheem’s Alan Machuga was named 2026 Manufacturing Leader of the Year, while General Motors won Large Enterprise Manufacturer of the Year and Pure & Gentle earned Small/Medium Enterprise Manufacturer of the Year.
The 2026 Class
Project Winners and Finalists
Project Category
Artificial Intelligence Vision and Strategy
- WINNER: Emirates Global Aluminium PJSC – AI-Driven Operational Excellence at Al Taweelah Aluminum Smelter
- Dow Inc. – Improving Furnace Reliability Using AI
- Hexion – Transforming Manufacturing with AI
- IBM Corporation – AI Macro – Next Gen Supply Chain Intelligence in Action
- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics – Pinspector – AI Computer Vision Defect Detection System
- Makino Milling Machine Co., Ltd. – Makino Addresses the Skills Gap, Amps Up Service Management with AI
- Merck – Transforming Pharma Manufacturing, Quality and Supply Chain Through AI
- Pella Corporation – Supercharging the Future: Pella’s Industrial AI Strategy for Quality and Efficiency at Scale
- Pfizer Inc. – EdgeLite: Transforming BioPharma Manufacturing with AI and MLOps
- Plexus Corp. – Innovating Responsibly: Driving Enterprise Value Through Strategic AI Adoption
- Pure & Gentle, Inc. – Orchestrating AI to Accelerate Manufacturing Growth
- Rockwell Automation – Setting a New Standard in Multi-Level Manufacturing: Industrial AI-Driven Autonomous Operations in Singapore
- Sandisk Storage Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. – IR5 Future Ready – Our Next Step in Operational Digital Transformation
- Seagate Technology Holdings PLC – AI Space: Scalable AI Operating System for Smart Manufacturing
- Toyota – GearPal: AI-Powered Manufacturing Intelligence Transforming Shop Floor Operations
- Toyota – Invisible AI – Vision AI Platform Digitizing the World-Famous Toyota Production System
- Trinity Industries – A Platform for Growth and AI Innovation: Trinity Industries’ Transformation Through Databricks
- Xylem Inc. – From Data Foundation to Agentic Operations: Unleashing Profitable Growth AI-Driven Manufacturing at Xylem
Project Category
Business Model Transformation
- WINNER: Rheem Manufacturing Company – Reinventing the Business Model with a Digital First, AI-Ready Platform
- Accumold – Transforming Micro-Manufacturing Through Micro Additive Manufacturing Integration
- Hologic Costa Rica – Migration and Optimization of APAC-EMEA Financial Processes to the Finance Shared Service Center
- Honeywell – Honeywell Service Made Simple (SMS) Offering
- Humtown – Transforming Quoting into a Digital Manufacturing Engine
- Hyster-Yale Materials Handling – Automation Without Barriers: Simplifying Automated Lift Truck Accessibility and Adoption
- IBM Corporation – Field Planning Stocking Strategy – Automated Model
- Miller Fabrication Solutions – Scaling Production Through Space, Automation and Smart Manufacturing Investments
- Pure & Gentle, Inc. – Turning Manufacturing Intelligence into Strategic Growth and New Revenue
- Sappi North America – From Paper to Packaging: Transforming a Manufacturing Business
Project Category
Collaborative Ecosystems
- WINNER: Hitachi Energy – Utilizing Remote Technologies to Improve Quotation Accuracy and Enhance Customer Satisfaction
- WINNER: Milwaukee Tool – Milwaukee Tool Powers Rapid Growth With Scale Using Cloud Technologies
- Daikin North America – Daikin North America Business Transformation Using SAP
- Douglas Dynamics – Empowering Dealers Through a Centralized Digital Sales Platform
- Jabil – E2E Auto‑Planning Platform: AI‑Driven Transformation of End‑to‑End Production Planning
- Jindal Stainless Limited – Project PRAGATI – Transforming Manufacturing Planning Culture Through Integrated Digital PPDS
- Whirlpool Corporation – Digitizing the Backshop: A Regional Blueprint for Supply Resilience
Project Category
Digital Supply Chains
- WINNER: Merck – Merck Digital Logistics Control Tower – Ocean Load Consolidation Planning Hub
- Corning Incorporated – Cornerstone – Unified AI Forecasting for Manufacturing Leadership
- Husky Technologies – Husky Prevents Disruption Through a Predictive Digital Supply Chain
- Merck – Excellence in Orchestrating a Supply Planning Revolution (Supply Plan Automation)
- PACCAR – Body in White Component Traceability
- Schneider Electric USA – Autonomous Supply Chain: End-To-End Planning and Execution
- Taylor Corporation – Taylor Harmonizes Diverse Business Units and Fuels Growth by Fine-Tuning its Supply Chain
Project Category
Engineering and Production Processes
- WINNER: Cisco Systems – AI-Driven Quality Intelligence: Transforming Silicon-to-System Manufacturing Excellence
- WINNER: Rockwell Automation – Revolutionizing Autonomous Production Logistics at Rockwell Automation’s Twinsburg Production Plant
- The Boeing Company – 3D Printed Drill Plates and Enhanced Powerfeed Drilling
- The Boeing Company – Spirit Feature Inspection (SPIFI) System
- Corning Incorporated – Skynet – Advanced Anomaly Detection and Auto Adjustment for Premium Quality
- General Motors – Automated Chemical Verification for Adhesive Dispense Accuracy
- Jabil – X-Line: All-in-One Automation Platform for Global Manufacturing Excellence
- Lexmark Internacional, Inc. a Xerox Company – CPT Optimization
- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics – Accelerating Cure Times to Accelerate Deliveries
- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics – Restoration of Canopy Transparency Coatings with Minor Optical Defects
- McCain Foods – Realizing Next-Generation Manufacturing: Coupling Computational Fluid Dynamics with Process Control
- NCDMM – Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing with Advanced Thermoset and Thermoplastic Materials with JuggerBot 3D
- NCDMM – Additive Manufacturing for Affordable, Scalable Hypersonic Propulsion with Ursa Major
- Pella Corporation – Revolutionizing Patio Door Design and Manufacturing: Pella’s Smart, Agile, and Automated Transformation
- Prima Power – 3D Laser Becomes Giga: +280% Productivity Per Square Foot
- Protolabs – Expanded CNC Offering at Speed
- Schneider Electric USA – Hybrid Additive-Subtractive Directed Energy Deposition
- Whirlpool Corporation – Breaking Rigid Automation Barriers with Intelligent Vision Guidance
- Xerox Corporation – Optimized Toner Filling and Dust‑Capture Safety at Xerox
- Zebra Technologies Corporation – Zero-Defect Manufacturing: How Advanced Machine Vision Transforms Quality Control
Project Category
Enterprise Integration and Technology
- WINNER: Bobcat – Doosan Bobcat Digital Manufacturing Lighthouse
- The Boeing Company – Boeing 737 Automated Beam Line System
- Chung Hua Plastic Industry Co., Ltd. – Parameter-Bound Digital Product Passport for Unit-Level Supply Chain Traceability
- CooperSurgical – CooperSurgical’s Digital Integration Journey
- Eli Lilly and Company – Enterprise Equipment Connectivity Strengthening Manufacturing Data Integrity
- First Solar – Enterprise Platform Transformation and Technology Consolidation Initiative
- Genentech, A Member of the Roche Group – Genentech Manufacturing – Tulip eCleaning Logs Application as a Digital Solution for GMP Facility Cleaning Documentation
- General Motors – In-House Software Defined Manufacturing Transforms Testing and Global Vehicle Production
- Grupo Bimbo – Grupo Bimbo Kneads Cloud Technologies and AI into Its Growth Strategy
- MxD – Cybertown
- Oshkosh – Enabling Digital Transformation, AI, and Connected Factory Through Digital Maintenance Execution
Project Category
Operational Excellence
- WINNER: Corning Incorporated – Lights-Out Operation: Realizing Autonomous and Unmanned Production Lines
- Cisco Systems – Cloud-Connected Testing: Automating Secure, Scalable and Counterfeit-Free Manufacturing for the Cloud Era
- Corteva Agriscience – Cost Reduction Journey for Florasulam: Adopting M4.0 Mindset to Reduce COM
- Dow Inc. – Operational Excellence Using Real-time Optimization (RTO) and Model Predictive Control (MPC) at Dow
- Eaton – Ignition MES Automation and Hyperscaling: Transforming Operational Efficiency
- Flex North Guadalajara Mexico – Flex’s Guadalajara North Site Digital Lean Transformation Journey Project
- General Motors – Manufacturing Optimization: Scalable Automation and Predictive Quality at Spring Hill
- Iochpe-Maxion – Methodology-Driven Breakthrough: Achieving a Productivity Leap in Wheel Casting
- Iochpe-Maxion – Rapid Casting Through Advanced AI/DT tools
- Kubota Manufacturing of America – Kubota Manufacturing of America’s Model Factory 4.0
- Kuraray America, Inc. – Kuralytix: AI-Driven Reliability Transformation to Close Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) Performance Gaps at Kuraray America, Inc.’s La Porte Plant
- MxD – Classification and Remediation of Defects Using AI
- Pella Corporation – Intelligent Manufacturing: Driving Operational Excellence
- Protolabs – Single-Pane Dashboard: Continuous Improvement in CNC
- Sutton Tools Pty. Ltd. – VisionX – AI-Driven Intelligence to Improve Precision Cutting Tool Manufacturing
- Tronox – Tronox Operations Information Systems Global Deployment
- Woodward, Inc. – Innovative Automation Lab Drives Digital Factories, Culture Change and Savings
Project Category
Sustainability and the Circular Economy
- WINNER: Saint-Gobain North America – Building a More Sustainable Future with Industry-Leading Net-Zero Carbon Manufacturing Operations
- WINNER: Sandisk Storage Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. – Digitally Enabled Circular Manufacturing Ecosystem
- Armstrong World Industries – From Landfill to Ceiling: The Macon Loose Fiber Project
- Armstrong World Industries – Industrial Wastewater Reclamation and Landfill Waste Reduction Using VSEP Technology
- Corteva Agriscience – Advanced Technology for Sustainable Haviza™ Active Ingredient Product Manufacture
- Hologic Costa Rica – Sustainable Safety: Advancing Human Protection in Manufacturing Environments
- IBM Corporation – Circularity in Action: Driving the Next Supply Chain Evolution
- Iochpe-Maxion – Sustainable Degreasing: Cutting Emissions Through Low-Heat Innovation
- Plexus Corp. – Zero Waste to Landfill: Powering a Circular Economy for Local Industry
- Pure & Gentle, Inc. – Advancing Circular Manufacturing Through Data-Driven Process Design
- Schneider Electric USA – Driving Industrial Sustainability through Efficiency, Digitization, and Circularity
- United Scrap Metal – Circular Energy Solutions Drive Sustainability
Project Category
Transformational Business Cultures
- WINNER: Eli Lilly and Company – Empowering Frontline Decision-Making with Real-Time Manufacturing Intelligence at Scale
- Genentech, A Member of the Roche Group – Achieving One Way to Work: Eliminating Variability through Radical Simplification
- Greene, Tweed & Co. – Digital Enterprise Training Management System (TMS)
- Jabil – My Lean Co‑Partner: Making Continuous Improvement Accessible Anytime, Anywhere
- MxD – CAPITAL Program
- PACCAR – PACCAR’s Design For Assembly Training and Integration
- Saint-Gobain North America – Developing the Next Generation of Manufacturers: Saint-Gobain’s Sustaining Futures, Raising Communities Program
- Sandisk Storage Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. – R.E.S.E.T.: Driving Organizational Transformation Through a Future-Ready Execution Framework
- Whirlpool Corporation – WCM 4.0: Accelerating Frontline Problem Solving through Generative AI
The 2026 Class
Individual Winners and Finalists
Individual Category
Digital Transformation Leadership
- WINNER: Sivakumar Balasubramanian, The Boeing Company
- Randy Altschuler, Xometry
- Kim Lee Bock, Sandisk
- Robert (Bob) Buttermore, Rockwell Automation
- Sanjay Choubey, Sylvamo
- Hanumantha R. Gadila, Merck
- Hassan Ghassemi-Armaki, General Motors
- David WF Gu, Seagate Technology Holdings PLC
- Sivakumar “Siva” Gurupackiam, NTT DATA, Inc.
- Michael Lefenfeld, Hexion
- Mark LoPresti, Biogen
- Alan Machuga, Rheem Manufacturing Company
- Lisa McEvoy, Merck
- Lion Moeliono, Rockwell Automation
- Gretchen Murray, General Motors
- Aimee Rodgers, USG Corporation
- Jason Saly, NCDMM
- Tim Sedlock, Hunter Douglas
- Ravi Yalamanchili, Merck
Individual Category
Next-Generation Leadership
- WINNER: Iran Arely Gomez Reyes, General Motors
- Ng Chun Yang Bernard, IBM Corporation
- Erika Bornstein, IBM Corporation
- Tucker Burhans, Corning Incorporated
- Sarah Coffee, Biogen
- Manuel Contero, Toyota
- Kristen DellaVecchia, Corning Incorporated
- Anthony Dote, MxD
- Aaron Fischer, Biogen
- Trey Hickey, General Motors
- Arun Kumar Jegarkal, Peterbilt Motors Company
- Ryan Kerezman, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
- Ruiqi Li, Protolabs
- Hayden Pinkelman, General Motors
- Danutha Samael, Seagate Technology Holdings PLC
- Sean Scadden, Chryso North America
- Jeremy Smith, Winnebago Industries
- Renan Torres, MSD
- Dremere Woods, Honda
- Adam Zaouague, Reata Engineering & Machine Works, Inc.
Collaboration Recognized
Partners in Collaborative Innovation
Technology and consulting partners recognized for their active role in award-winning manufacturing projects.
- Accenture
- Aquant
- Dassault Systemes
- Databricks
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Fulcrum
- Invisible AI
- LeanDNA
- MaintainX
- NTT DATA
- Oracle Corporation
- Rockwell Automation | Kalypso
- Swinburne University of Technology
- Tacton
- Teamswork
Be Part of the Next Class
Nominations for each awards season open in the fall and close at the end of January.
