CINDE announces: Costa Rica shines at Shingo prizes with three multinational companies awarded

- The Shingo Award for Operational Excellence is granted by the Shingo Institute, part of the Jon M. Huntsman Business School at Utah State University, in recognition of the world's best manufacturing practices.  This year in 2019, only four companies worldwide have managed to win an award in the Prize category, with two in the Silver category.  In 2018, only two companies made it to the Silver category, which highlights excellence at the country level for executing high added value processes. Dyalá Jiménez, the Minister of Foreign Trade, was delighted at the news, and remarked, "Companies in the life sciences sector have found a home in Costa Rica, where the high degree of specialization of our professionals has been a key element for their development. Costa Rican human talent is increasingly prepared to confront changing demands in the market and the environment where global business is taking shape, and this recognition is a clear example of this. The award to the companies Boston Scientific, Hologic Surgical Products and Bridgestone BATO Shared Services Center is also for their people.  Great work is always recognized, and we thank you for putting Costa Rica on top.  My very warmest congratulations!"   The Managing Director at the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE), Jorge Sequeira, said: "These prizes reflect the efficiency and productivity characteristic of Costa Rican culture.  From 1999 to 2017, life sciences companies operating in the country have seen productivity growth per employee of 63%; whereas for the services sector, from 2005 al 2017, productivity has grown 100%, all of this measured by the value of exports per employee, according to CINDE data in 2018. We congratulate these companies for their commitment to excellence and their contributions to Costa Rica." Luis Javier Serrano, Vice President for Operations at Boston Scientific, Coyol plant, said, "This recognition is a real achievement for all of our employees.  The passion, commitment and daily use of systems and tools for continuous improvement have created for us this magnificent culture of operational excellence. I have been a witness to these results, and the change that is generated when a team decides to embark upon this journey.  Today we're celebrating what we once dreamed, which is what we have been working on for all these years." Senior Operations Director at Hologic Surgical Products, Nilo Caravaca, commented, "We set out on our path to operational excellence (LEAN) 10 years ago, and over the past four years we've been implementing the Shingo Operational Excellence model, in tandem with our Gallup Q12. We've chosen this model because we want excellent and sustainable results that we can compare with the operations and services of the best organizations in the world." Marshall Kelly, VP at Bridgestone Shared Services Center, noted that: "This is a very important success in our progress towards our strategic goals. It's a journey that began three years ago.  We are proud to be the first Shared Services Center in Costa Rica to have won the Shingo Silver Medallion, a prize for operational excellence." The results achieved by these companies corroborate Costa Rica's standing in various international rankings of efficiency and innovation. For example: Costa Rica took first place in Latin America for efficiency and innovation according to World Intellectual Property Organization 2018. About CINDE The Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE) is a private, non-profit organization that for 37 years has been committed to the development and sustainable social progress of Costa Rica by attracting direct foreign investment in manufacturing and services industries of high added value that create quality employment, knowledge transfer and productive linkages. CINDE also collaborates in strengthening the Costa Rican business climate to foster the growth of activities of value for the country, improvement in the preparation of local talent, creation of jobs and greater opportunities for the population in the country's various communities. For more press information Fabiola Domínguez, CINDE fdominguez@cinde.org