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Two Vancouver companies were among five top award winners in this year’s Manufacturing Excellence Awards, sponsored by the Association of Washington Business and UPS.
Cadet Manufacturing, a maker of high-efficiency wall, baseboard and garage heaters and thermostats, was named Manufacturer of the Year. Founded in 1957, Cadet has 105 employees and offers flex time, profit sharing, a vacation gifting program and an employee garden. The business group noted that Cadet has reduced its waste by 75 percent since 2007 and implemented 65 lean manufacturing improvements.
TigerStop won the Manufacturing Excellence Award for innovation. That award highlights a company’s work in designing, developing and delivering a blockbuster product concept. TigerStop was founded in 1994 by Spencer Dick to develop a cutting machine that would consistently produce accurately shaped parts, whether metal, aluminum, plastic or wood. The company has sold more than 30,000 machines, and uses local sourcing in its production facilities, the business association said of TigerStop.
The awards were presented Tuesday at the Association of Washington Business’ manufacturing summit in Kent.
