Best practice innovations on the production floor can have far reaching benefits. The NPCA Best Practices Award recognizes industry best practices and improvements that showcase the best way to do a job, treat the environment, save money and more.

The awards are open to both Producer and Associate members and any industry best practice qualifies for entry. Best practices may include programs or practices regarding sustainability, lean manufacturing, resiliency, production process innovations and more.

The 2025 Best Practices Awards were presented during the Keynote Luncheon at The Precast Show in Indianapolis on Feb. 5.

Here are this year’s winners:

First place: M-1 Tanks
Best Practice: Augmented Reality (AR) to provide a new way to experience precast designs

M-1 Tanks is using AR technology to allow customers and employees to visualize a completed and installed structure while still in the planning phase of a project, allowing users to understand the scale and design of the project and visualize how components fit together before they are produced. This promotes informed decision-making and allows for early identification of potential challenges, streamlining the approval process.

M-1 Tanks maintains this has enhanced customer satisfaction, improved communication, reduced errors, boosted confidence and set a new standard for efficiency and collaboration in their operations, demonstrating a commitment to innovation and quality in their operations.

Second place: Smith-Midland Corp.
Best Practice: Use of the Standard Work Method to Implement Continuous Improvements to their operations

Smith-Midland Corp. has been on a LEAN journey since Ashley Smith introduced LEAN manufacturing to their corporation more than 17 years ago. LEAN manufacturing aims at reducing time and waste within the entire operation and concentrates on reducing production time by eliminating activities that do not add significant value.

The success of LEAN efforts depends on employee support of LEAN practices as a continual, ongoing effort. One particular Smith-Midland employee, Francisco Cortez, has embraced the LEAN concept by developing a Standard Work process to provide clear and detailed guidance on executing specific tasks. Once his Standard Work process was implemented, the improvement in quality was very noticeable and the time saving was enormous. Cortez now routinely teaches other employees how establish their own process improvements and use the LEAN concept to improve their work.

Third place: ParkUSA
Best Practice: Use of a gantry crane to provide fall protection

Finishing operations in their lift station assembly department require employees to work several feet above the floor, thus necessitating the use of fall protection.

Previously, an overhead was being used to secure fall protection, requiring considerable time and effort, in addition to making the crane unavailable for other work in the plant while it was locked out for safety.

After evaluating several options, a portable gantry crane was installed to provide not only a secure tie-off point but also provide a means for recovery and delivery of tools and components to aid in the process of finishing lift stations. This proved to be a cost-effective solution and eliminated the need to lock out the overhead crane.

Look for more details on these best practices in upcoming issues of Precast Today.