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2018 Dorian Awards Logo

2018 Dorian Awards

On October 25th,2018 in Munich, Germany, Shainin hosted the Dorian Award Ceremony to honor outstanding individuals and companies for their achievements and accomplishments with Red X Technologies. This year in total 8 awards were bestowed. Over 70 submissions were received for the two categories Individual and Company awards and the selection jury chose the very best of the best as formal nominations. Below are listed the most outstanding persons and companies which received a formal nomination.

2018 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

Dattatraya Pilane
Bosch India
&
René Slominski
Airbus

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

Michael O’Connor
ZF
USA

Roland Brandenburg
Airbus

Benchmark Master Project

Dirk May
ZF

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.

Christopher Bunty
UAES

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.

John Kuta
UAES

Company Award Winners

Continuous 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.

ZF

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.

Bosch India

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.

UAES

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.

Benchmark Apprentice Project

  • Lei Xiujuan, UAES
  • Dattatraya Pilane, Bosch India
  • René Slominski, Airbus

Benchmark Journeyman Project

  • Anil Yadav, Bosch India
  • Lourdes Mestre Montilla, Airbus
  • Michael O’Connor, ZF USA
  • Roland Brandenburg, Airbus
  • Xiaowei Miao, ZF

Benchmark Master Project

  • Dr. Yue Li, Bosch
  • Dirk May, ZF

Master of the Year

  • Stefan Czieslik, Airbus
  • Christopher Bunty, UAES
  • Dr. Bernd Mittmann, ZF

RT5® Executive of the Year

  • Dr. Andreas Wolf, Bosch India
  • Admir Kreso, Daimler
  • Chris Pickering, ZF
  • John Kuta, UAES

Continuous Improvement Excellence

  • Continental
  • Daimler
  • ZF

Red X® Project Sponsorship Management

  • Bosch India Ltd
  • IMS Gear
  • Liebherr

Y to X® Problem Solving Cultural Excellence

  • Airbus
  • Ideal Standard
  • UAES

Curious about this year's awards?

Visit our Dorian Awards

Each year the criteria for the awards gets a little more rigorous as participation in nominations increases. View this year’s Dorian Awards and Criteria to see what projects are eligible for this year. 

Learn more about Dorian Awards
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Problem Solved. 

Results Delivered.

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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

Product Development
PROJECT OF THE YEAR

This category recognizes technical problems solved during product development and launch. These projects typically have small sample sizes to work with. Product development begins the lifecycle of a product. Projects that win this award will demonstrate:

  • Potential impact of the problem.
  • Effective use of the Shainin Red X® tools to uncover the root cause.
  • The timeline of resolution from initial discovery to solution implemented. 
  • Explanation of lessons learned and how to use this knowledge in the future.

Dorian Awards Criteria

Team Project Awards

Field Reliability
PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Field failures impact more than just your bottom line. This category is dedicated to projects that focus on field issues such as ‘No Trouble Found’, fatigue failures, and other destructive or malfunction events. Projects that win this award will demonstrate:

  • Initial impact of the problem.
  • Creative and effective use of the Shainin Red X® tools to uncover the root cause.
  • Speed and efficiency in resolving the issue.  
  • Impact of resolving the problem.

Dorian Awards Criteria

Team Project Awards

PLANT MANUFACTURING
PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Manufacturing is a world all its own. With the fast-moving pace, the speed of solving problems matters. The Plant Manufacturing Project of the Year Award recognizes projects that resolve complex problems in ongoing production which impact the end user, company bottom line, production quality rates, and the like. Projects that win this award will demonstrate:

  • Technical difficulty or complexity in resolving the issue.
  • Creative and effective use of the Shainin Red X® tools to uncover the root cause.
  • How the solution or information discovered was leveraged.
  • Timeline for resolving the issue.
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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

Red X® Master of the Year Award

The Red X® Master of the Year Award is for leaders with a Red X® Master Certification who have increased the impact of problem solving using Shainin technologies within their organization. To be considered for this award, the submission must meet the following criteria:

  • Applies leadership skills to expand the impact of Shainin technologies within the organization.
  • Results include projects that made a significant impact improving business performance.
  • The number of individuals coached to certification.

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