CS News

Cooper Standard is proud to announce that our Bystrice, Czech Republic facility has earned the prestigious 2025 Champions of Excellence Kaizen Award! This marks the plant’s debut in the competition and the second consecutive year the Fluid Handling team achieved this recognition.

Four finalist teams presented their Kaizen projects to a panel of global leaders, showcasing innovative solutions and competing for the honor of becoming the overall winner. Bystrice, Czech Republic was selected as the global winner based on the project’s optimization of the shop floor layout and improved workstreams.

Nearly every team member at Bystrice contributed to the major layout transformation. Using heat maps to identify underutilized areas, the team reorganized equipment into a process-oriented layout. The advantages of this project led to reduced operational costs, increased production speed, and elimination of potential safety risks. The team also freed up 1,000 square meters of space for new, incoming projects!

Cooper Standard encourages refinement of manufacturing processes through this annual Kaizen program. Congratulations to this year’s semifinalists:

• Torreon, Mexico: Applied lean methods to cut waste, boost collaboration, and improve efficiency and quality across production.
• Aguascalientes, Mexico: Reduced costs and increased productivity by reallocating capacity, minimizing waste, and optimizing space, all while prioritizing sustainability.
• Shenyang, China: Used Lean tools and innovative processes to redesign layouts, raise efficiency, flexibility, and lower scrap rates.

The Champions of Excellence Kaizen recognition is a powerful reminder of what is possible when you commit to delivering excellence and approaching every day with an innovative mindset.