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Dorian Awards 2019 Logo

2019 Dorian Awards

Shainin is pleased to honor outstanding individuals and companies for their achievements and accomplishments with Red X® Technologies. This year in total 9 distinct Dorian Shainin Awards were bestowed.


Over 300 submissions were received for the categories of Individual and Company awards.  The final selection was extremely difficult due to the outstanding quality of so many nominations.  In some cases, there was less than .1% difference in the final scores.  We are proud to announce today the final results and ultimate winners of the 2019 Dorian Awards.

2019 Dorian Awards Winners

Individual Awards

Benchmark Red X® Apprentice Project

The criteria for this award will be a combination of elements including but not limited to the following:

  • Speed and efficiency of the problem solved
  • Technical difficulty and complexity of the problem solved
  • Risk reduction and cost savings incurred by the problem resolution • Scale of leverage across an organization or facility
  • Intelligent, creative, innovative use of Red X® technologies
  • Challenges overcome during the application of Red X® tools 
  • Discovery or development of potential improvements to the Red X® methodology

Rebecca Reid
Pratt and Whitney Dallas Airfoil Repair Operations (DARO)
Great Prairie, TX, USA
&
Nathan Solomon
BorgWarner, ETS-Americas,
Fletcher NC, USA

Benchmark Red X® Journeyman Project

The criteria for this award will be a combination of elements including but not limited to the following:

  • Speed and efficiency of the problem solved
  • Technical difficulty and complexity of the problem solved
  • Risk reduction and cost savings incurred by the problem resolution • Scale of leverage across an organization or facility
  • Intelligent, creative, innovative use of Red X® technologies
  • Challenges overcome during the application of Red X® tools 
  • Discovery or development of potential improvements to the Red X® methodology

Christine Danjoy
Airbus SAS,
Toulouse, France

Benchmark Red X® Master Project

The criteria for this award will be a combination of elements including but not limited to the following:

  • Speed and efficiency of the problem solved
  • Technical difficulty and complexity of the problem solved
  • Risk reduction and cost savings incurred by the problem resolution • Scale of leverage across an organization or facility
  • Intelligent, creative, innovative use of Red X® technologies
  • Challenges overcome during the application of Red X® tools 
  • Discovery or development of potential improvements to the Red X® methodology

Lorenzo Benini
Dana, Off Highway
Arco, Italy

RT5® Leadership Excellence Award

  1. The number of successful projects sponsored in one year.
  2. The impact of said projects on a facility, business unit or company.
  3. The successful implementation of a problem-solving culture within the realm of responsibility of the RT5 Leader.
  4. Obstacles removed or otherwise overcome in the development and implementation of a successful problem-solving program.
  5. The number of engineers having been successfully certified and the overall skill level attained by those engineers

Chad Bauer
Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies

Sebastian Boettcher
Robert Bosch Automotive Steering

Frank Eichel
United Automotive Electronic Systems

Rodrigo Espinosa
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Dean Flower
Detroit Diesel Corporation Daimler Trucks

Victor Gaylor
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Jim Ward
BorgWarner

Michael Zink
Robert Bosch Automotive Steering

Red X® Master of the Year Award

  1. For outstanding results in the performance in executing the role and responsibilities assigned as a Red X® Master.
  2. Important considerations for this award are: the number of coaching sessions conducted, the number of persons coached in this year, the number of engineers having successfully completed certification.
  3. Other criteria are for example; Red X® effectiveness awareness and development.
  4. Scope of responsibility and impact of projects coached to successful completion.

Valeria Tarango
Delphi Technologies

RT5® Executive of the Year Award

  1. Acts as a corporate or regional champion for critical problems.
  2. Is actively engaged in the process of identifying, selecting, and then defining breakthrough Red X® projects.
  3. Conducts regular reviews to ensure that key projects are solved quickly and efficiently.
  4. Seeks and succeeds in actively leveraging Shainin solutions throughout the corporation wherever applicable.
  5. Supports and fosters both RT5 leadership throughout multiple management levels as well as a team of certified Red X engineers through a comprehensive and effective training program.
  6. Encourages major suppliers and customers to jointly solve problems by using common tools, speaking a common language, and leveraging the understanding that efficiency and knowledge are gained by effective cooperation and sharing of lessons learned.
  7. Actively recognizes and rewards outstanding performance in problemsolving. 3
  8. Provides leadership guidance, structural framework, and effective mentoring of a dynamic problem-solving culture beyond quality and manufacturing operations.
  9. Is recognized as an exceptional leader and respected for implementing problem solving as a core competence and part of the corporate culture.

Dr. Andreas Wolf
Robert Bosch

Company & Site Award Winners

Bottom Line Improvement Excellence Award

  1. For the best financial result of a specific project having solved a complex technical problem.
  2. The bottom line is a total savings calculation usually based on improved throughput, scrap reduction, productivity, or other measurable manufacturing key performance indicator.
  3. Included are warranty reductions, field failure avoidance, and other technical solutions resulting in savings.

**Please note: all submissions will be guarded as completely secret and no details will be disclosed in any manner.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Engineering Body Group
Auburn Hills, MI, USA

Red X® Project Sponsorship Management

  1. Rolling Top 5 Managers who offer excellent encouragement, assistance and reinforcement in support of their Red X Problem Solving teams to achieve excellent results.
  2. This award is for comprehensive management endorsement and leadership attention in the prioritization and enablement of a successful problem-solving culture inside a facility.
  3. Important are the consistency, quality, and active participation of sponsorship activities including regular project reviews, recognition of results, and inspiration leading to structured problem-solving sponsorship becoming a key core competence of the company’s leadership culture.

Airbus Commercial Aircraft
Illescas Plant
Spain

Y to X® Problem Solving Cultural Excellence Award

  1. The successful implementation of the Red X® methodology as a key component of a problem-solving culture supported by executive leadership, sponsored actively by management, and lived as a normal way of doing business within a business unit, facility, or division of a company.
  2. A successful problem-solving culture implies that the Red X® tool kit was adopted and integrated into a corporate culture.
  3. Harmony with existing tools, quality management systems, and other simple problemsolving methodologies would be a positive indication of a successful corporate assimilation.
  4. Aspects of establishing Y to X as a key core competence would include a clear vision, effective guidance and structure systems, active training programs, engaged sponsorship, good communication platforms, goal-oriented management support, and an effective system for rewards and recognition.

Robert Bosch
Automotive Steering
Florence, KY, USA, Italy

Finalists

The final winners were chosen from a distinguished list of formal nomination recipients. Each of these nominations indicates that they were among the best of the best which were received and reviewed by the selection jury. The following is a list of the formal nominations for this year’s Dorian Awards.

Bottom Line Improvement Excellence Award

  • Deepanjan Mukherjee, Bosch Ltd., Powertrain Solutions, Nashik Plant, India
  • Geert Veenstra, Philips, Personal Health, Drachten
  • Nathan Solomon, BorgWarner, ETS-Americas, Fletcher Manufacturing Facility, Fletcher NC
  • Raúl Alberto Cabañas Contreras, Airbus Commercial Aircraft, Illescas Plant, Spain
  • Rebecca Reid, Pratt and Whitney Dallas Airfoil Repair Operations – DARO, Great Pairie, TX
  • Kenn Zhou, ZF, China

Benchmark Journeyman Project

  • Benjamin Sheen, Eaton, Vehicle Group, Galesburg
  • Christine Danjoy, Airbus SAS, Toulouse
  • Edgar Bignion, Liebherr Machines Bulle, QM, Bulle
  • David Lin, Delphi Technologies Yantai China

Benchmark Master Project

  • John Beluska, Robert Bosch Automotive Steering, Florence, KY
  • Lorenzo Benini, Dana, Off Highway, Arco
  • Bryan Arnold, FCA Chrysler Technical Center, Auburn Hills, MI
  • Dan Bamber, BorgWarner, Transmission Systems, PTC Auburn Hills
  • Ramesh Raichur, Bosch LTD, RBIN Bangalore

Master of the Year

  • Alfonso Melchor-Perez, Airbus Commercial Aircraft
  • Cliff Owens, BorgWarner
  • Luis Ramon Lopez Sandoval, Bosch
  • Robert Kinnear, ZF
  • Valeria Tarango, Delphi Technologies
  • Aldo Andres Alarcon Gonzalez, Bosch

Bottom Line Improvement

  • Robert Bosch Automotive Steering, Florence, KY
  • Vitesco Technologies (Continental Automotive) Powertrain plant Limbach-Oberfrohna
  • Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Engineering Body Group

Red X® Project Sponsorship Management

  • Airbus Commercial Aircraft Illescas plant
  • Bosch India Ltd
  • Bourns, Inc.

Y to X® Problem Solving Cultural Excellence

  • FCA Chrysler Technical Center
  • Delphi Technologies
  • Robert Bosch LLC Anderson Plant
  • United Automotive Electronic Systems Co., Ltd.
  • Robert Bosch Automotive Steering, Florence KY

Curious about past awards?

Past Recipients

The commitment, dedication, and innovation within problem solving is demonstrated by past recipients serving as models for others in the problem solving world.

View Past Recipients
Older Dorian Award Trophy
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Dorian Awards Criteria

Team Project Awards

TRANSAXIONAL® BUSINESS
PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Business processes deliver critical functions. But sometimes processes break, and the root cause is not clear. TransaXional® Business Projects focus on what must go right in a process for it to deliver the desired result every time.  The  TransaXional® Business Project of the Year Award recognizes projects that focus on process-based problems. Projects that win this award will demonstrate:

  • The impact of the problem on the company and the team. 
  • The use of the DETAIL™ project format.
  • Creative & effective use of the Shainin TransaXional® tools.
  • The timeline of resolution from initial discovery through project closure.
  • Explanation of how to leverage and implement project results.

Dorian Awards Criteria

Team Project Awards

RESILIENT ENGINEERING®
PROJECT OF THE YEAR

The goal in a new product or process development is a trouble-free launch. Resilient Engineering® focuses on the critical factors that must go right in the product design and manufacturing process. The Resilient Engineering® Project of the Year Award recognizes projects that focus on what must go right to ensure a successful launch. Projects that win this award will demonstrate:  

  • Critical factor identification in the design phase.
  • Prioritization of the high-risk functions to focus on.
  • Development of function models linking the high-risk functions to critical input features, properties, and parameters.
  • Potential or perceived impact for the customer, the company, and the production line.
  • Effective use of the Shainin Resilient Engineering® tools to identify, prioritize, design, test, and control the critical factors.
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John Abrahamian

Executive VP - Problem Solving

John Abrahamian is a highly respected problem solver as well as an expert in the field of Lean manufacturing, with a career spanning over three decades. Throughout his career, John has become renowned for his innovative approach to problem-solving and his unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction. 
  
After receiving his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Connecticut in 1985, John began his career as a design and development engineer at Pratt & Whitney. It was during this time that his interest in problem-solving first emerged. By 1994, John had become a Continuous Improvement Manager at the company. During his tenure, John led Pratt & Whitney’s efforts in Lean manufacturing and Value Engineering. 
  
In 1990, John began pursuing his MBA in Operations Management, where he was first introduced to the concept of Lean manufacturing, and this influenced the direction of his career. In 1996, he was encouraged by his Pratt & Whitney team to take Shainin Red X training, building on his Lean manufacturing efforts. This training proved to be a turning point in John’s career, igniting his passion for problem-solving and setting him on a path to becoming one of the industry’s most respected experts. 
  
In 1998, John joined Shainin, where he has spent the last 25 years pursuing his passion for problem-solving. During his time here, John has developed innovative approaches to problem-solving, having received a US Patent for a problem-solving method. He also integrated function analysis into Shainin methods, seeding what would ultimately become Resilient Engineering.  
  
Despite his busy schedule, John still finds time to pursue his hobbies, which include golfing, stand-up paddleboarding, and skeet shooting. He especially enjoys traveling with his wife and spending time with family, including his three grandsons. 
  
Having the opportunity to work in a wide variety of industries, experiencing different cultures and meeting new and interesting people gives John the kind of job satisfaction that makes him grateful to be in this field of work. He truly enjoys creating meaningful relationships with his customers and inspiring ordinary engineers to become extraordinary problem solvers. 

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Dorian Awards Criteria

Team Project Awards

This category of awards is for project teams who have demonstrated outstanding application of Shainin methodologies in solving complex problems within their company.

To be considered for this award, the submission must meet the following criteria:

  • Speed and efficiency of the problem solved
  • Technical difficulty and complexity of the problem solved
  • Project impact and leverage across the organization
  • Creative use of Shainin technologies
  • Clarity of the project documentation