The Seven Kata Receives International Recognition

The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence, part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, has selected "The Seven Kata: Toyota Kata, TWI, and Lean Training" by Conrad Soltero and Patrice Boutier as a recipient of the Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award. Soltero and Boutier are both consultants with the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center, hosted by The Univerisity of Texas at Arlington and El Paso as partner institutions.

"Receipt of the Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award signifies authors' significant contribution to the body of knowledge surrounding operational excellence," said Robert Miller, executive director of The Shingo Prize. "The intent is to motivate others to learn from them."

In "The Seven Kata," Soltero and Boutier supply time-tested tools and counsel with the goal of empowering readers to transform their organization's culture into one of operational excellence. Their intent is to bridge the gaps between many of the seemingly disjointed improvement practices and tools that organizations employ in their attempt to create more efficiency. By following the roadmap presented in the book, the authors claim that organizations will gain a competitive advantage in their respective industries.

By "challenging" or applying for an award, authors invite a group of accomplished professionals and trained examiners from The Shingo Prize to thoroughly review their publications. The examiners select the publications they think are worthy of recognition.