Honoring innovation at 11th annual Oshkosh Excellence Awards

ABOUT THE AWARDS

The OEAs is a competition open to all Oshkosh team members. Created in 2013, team members have the opportunity to share stories of excellence from across the company, recognize improvement activities and highlight extraordinary projects of innovation, all while giving back to the communities in which we live and work. 

There are three categories of OEA awards to recognize people, process improvement and advanced product development, including: 

• Cheers to Peers: Recognizing those who live out our core values every day and go above and beyond to help fellow team members, our business and/or commitment to community.

• Quick Wins: Innovation, whether large or small, moves our company forward. This category celebrates the “just do it” improvements completed in a short amount of time. These are small ideas that have big impacts on operational excellence.

• Projects: Recognition for the most impactful projects, programs or initiatives that innovate, serve and advance our customers, our team members or our business. 

Winning teams and individuals are selected by their peers and leaders, acknowledged within their business segment, celebrated throughout the entire organization and receive a donation to the charity of their choice. Since its inception, the OEAs have donated $1.4 million to charities that serve local veteran, youth and domestic abuse services, human societies, hospitals, environmental causes and more. 

Oshkosh Excellence Awards global ceremony

Team member trophies for Oshkosh Excellence Awards global ceremony

THIS YEAR: TRANSFORMED BY INNOVATION. DRIVEN BY PURPOSE.

Over 625 submissions were received in 2024 from 10 countries, including Australia, Belgium, China, France, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States of America. Overall, 36 winners were selected – 12 Cheers to Peers, four Quick Wins and 20 Projects – representing the top six percent of nominations. Each award winner was recognized at the Oshkosh Excellence Awards global celebration, led by 2024 OEA Executive Ambassador, Tim Bleck, senior vice president and president for Oshkosh Defense.

“Innovation not only revitalizes our operations but propels us forward,” shared Bleck. “The Oshkosh Excellence Awards honor our historical spirit of innovation by recognizing those who have pushed the boundaries on what’s possible, celebrating the dedication and hard work of team members committed to keeping Oshkosh at the forefront of our industry and highlighting our shared values that move the world forward.”

The 2024 award recipients revitalized and transformed operations, processes, products and services, all while enabling Oshkosh to make a difference in the lives of people both within and beyond our organization.

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS: SPOTLIGHTING THE HEART OF OSHKOSH

Quick Wins are swift, effective solutions – improvements that make a significant difference in a short amount of time – with a vision and strategy that benefit customers, communities, team members and our business. Our grand prize team, Operation Times Up, developed a solution in a must-win situation, providing exactly what the customer needed at a critical juncture.

QUICK WIN: Operation Times Up

SUMMARY: This group from the Oshkosh Defense contract and program team created an accountability tool, detailing key milestones to map award plans for 78 actions due within four months.

CHARITY: Patriot K9 Partners of Wisconsin

Project awards embody the spirit of Oshkosh's business strategy, "Innovate. Serve. Advance." The 2024 OEA Project award winners have led initiatives at the forefront of innovation, leveraged cutting-edge technology and bold ideas to enhance capabilities as well as set new standards within our industry. Each winner also exemplifies our deep commitment to service.

PROJECT: Boom Lift Control

SUMMARY: The judges described this project as a “complete game changer.” With a charge and challenge to accelerate productivity while improving the safety and care of our team members, this cross-functional team from JLG test and development expanded its innovative control solutions to assist manufacturers and support engineering.

CHARITY: Mercersburg Lions Community Park

PROJECT: Purchasing Analytics Tactical Tower (PATT-E)

SUMMARY: This project is an example of the use of emerging and advanced technologies, bringing together data from multiple sources to provide clear, predictive and actionable insights.

CHARITY: Rick Kemp Foundation

PROJECT: Improved Quarter End Shipping

SUMMARY: The Laredo service technicians and shipping crews took frustration with chaotic quarter-end situations and turned it into courageous creative thinking with a big-picture view.

CHARITY: Sacred Hearts Children's Home