The Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing has announced the recipients of its 14th annual business awards. A record number of plants have earned what is considered by some to be the Nobel prize of manufacturing.

"We're very impressed with the lean manufacturing achievements of this year's recipients," says Ross Robson, Shingo Prize executive director. "In a time of economic recession, it's a comfort to see plants that are prepared to weather economic uncertainty by not wasting precious manufacturing and business resources."