Shingo Prize Awarded to Codelco Radomiro Tomic Área Seca, Calama, Chile

LOGAN, Utah — The Shingo Institute, a program in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, has awarded its top and most prestigious honor,the Shingo Prize, to Codelco Radomiro Tomic Área Seca, Calama, Chile.

“Receipt of the Shingo Prize is a worldwide recognized symbol of an organization’s successful establishment of a culture anchored on principles of enterprise excellence, such as respect for every individual, leading with humility, quality at the source, the quest for perfection, and creating value for the customer,” said Ken Snyder, executive director of the Shingo Institute. “Ultimately, these recipients are in a class of the best organizations in the world, regardless of industry or country.”

“Achieving this is a source of pride and a recognition of the work we have been doing for many years,” said Grace Navarrete Condell, process plant manager at Radomiro Tomic.

“The C+ management system and our journey toward the Shingo Prize is what allowed us to direct energy and efforts to increase maturity in the different practices, especially those that support cultural transformation and people development,” said Marcelo Vargas Vergara, operational manager at Radomiro Tomic Codelco.

Cristián Gómez, maintenance manager at Codelco Radomiro Tomic, said, “This recognition allows us to validate what we have been doing in recent years — we are on the right path to achieving organizational excellence. People are very proud. Today, we celebrate what we set out to do. Beyond recognition, we set out to achieve our goals, to improve our indicators, and to contribute to our country.”

Codelco is one of the main copper producers in the world, mining approximately 10% of the world’s production. Owned by the State of Chile, the company has eight divisions around the country. Through the nationalization of copper between 1971 and 2021, Codelco has generated surpluses of $142 billion for the State of Chile.

The Radomiro Tomic division is the first division designed, built, and led from its origin by Chileans. Radomiro Tomic is an open pit mine located in the city of Calama in the Antofagasta region. It has a challenging business plan that includes mining oxides until 2029 and mining sulfides until 2060. Since its inauguration in 1997, the Radomiro Tomic division has generated surpluses for the State of Chile of more than $19 billion.

“I firmly believe that the Shingo Guiding Principles are crucial,” said Lindor Quiroga, former division manager and leader of the implementation process. “The Radomiro Tomic mining family, especially the Área Seca, which applied for this recognition, are really living the principles and culture, and this prize confirms that.”

By “challenging” or applying for Shingo recognition, organizations invite a group of accomplished professionals and examiners to thoroughly review their culture and operations. The examiners evaluate the challengers based on a rigorous set of standards and the Shingo Institute awards the organizations according to their assessment results.

Representatives of Codelco Radomiro Tomic Área Secawill be recognized as a Shingo Prize recipient during the Shingo Institute’s Awards Gala at the 35th Annual Shingo Conference held on May 23-24, 2023, in Provo, Utah, USA. To learn more about the event, please visit shingo.org/events.

The conference will feature keynotes and interactive breakout sessions. Attendees will also have the option to add pre- and post-conference workshops and company tours to their agenda. The annual conference is designed to provide ongoing knowledge, insights, and experience for organizations in their pursuit of operational excellence.

About the Shingo Institute

The Shingo Institute is home of the Shingo Prize, an award that recognizes organizations that demonstrate an exceptional culture that fosters continuous improvement. A program in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, the Shingo Institute is named after Japanese industrial engineer and Toyota adviser, Shigeo Shingo. Dr. Shingo distinguished himself as one of the world’s thought leaders in concepts, management systems, and improvement techniques that have become known as the Toyota Production System.

Drawing from Dr. Shingo’s teachings and years of experience working with organizations worldwide, the Shingo Institute developed the Shingo Model, which is the basis for its several educational offerings, including workshops, webinars, podcasts, study tours, and conferences. Workshops are available in multiple languages through the Institute’s licensed affiliates. For more information on workshops and affiliates, or to register to attend the Annual Shingo Conference, please visit www.shingo.org.