Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence Award
When did you last get an honest look at your own company?
Expert outside feedback, regional visibility, and a seat in the performance-excellence community, for about 6–8 hours of your company's time.
You can nominate your own company or another manufacturer. Either one works.
Nominations must be received by November 20th, 2026.
The SMBEA Organizational Profile, to be completed by nominated organizations, is due December 18th, 2026.
Past SMBEA winners
The assessment
Why complete an SMBEA assessment
The SMBEA profile is a 25-question snapshot of a manufacturer. It lets a company see itself the way a trained reviewer would, without the cost and effort of a full application.
Going for the award is optional. You can complete the assessment without it.
Value of completing the profile itself
What happens when your leaders answer the questions together?
Have your leaders ever written down your customers, suppliers, and competitors in one place?
Questions on the profile ask for customers and their requirements, suppliers, workforce groups, regulators, competitors, and strategic challenges and advantages. Many small and mid-size manufacturers have never written these down in one place.
Could your leaders clearly say how the company would recover from a disruption?
The later questions cover strategy, leadership, customers, measurement, workforce, and operations. If a leader can't answer one clearly, they've found something to work on before anyone outside the company reads it.
Would everyone on your leadership team name the same competitors?
Filling it out pulls in the leadership team's views, which often surfaces disagreements about strategy, priorities, or who the real competitors are.
Are your org chart, mission, vision, and values up to date?
The profile asks for each of them. If one is missing or out of date, the company finds out.
“In my organization, we don’t view updating our Organizational Profile as an award application exercise or a use of time that simply checks a box. As our organization has matured, we have begun using the annual update of our Organizational Profile to kick-start our strategic planning process.”
Benefits of the assessment
Business Improvement
- Written and live feedback from trained reviewers, naming specific strengths, opportunities for improvement and recommendations
- A low-risk first step into performance excellence, without a 50-page application
- The chance to send an employee as a reviewer in the 2027 cycle, which builds skills that come back into the company
Visibility and Reputation
- Sterling press releases and promotion across print, web and social media
- Recognition at the awards event
- A free expo hall table at the annual Sterling Conference
- Profile-raising activity across the region, such as plant tours, webinars and expositions
Network and Access
- Free seats at the Sterling Executive Roundtable
- A reduced conference registration rate
- An introduction to the regional manufacturing ecosystem
- For award recipients, a free first year on the Sterling Council Board at the Honorary Designation level
Talent and Workforce
- Recognition helps with recruiting and retention, because employees want to work for an award-winning manufacturer
- Plant photos and the public company overview tell the community that manufacturing careers are worth pursuing
2026 Recognition
The 2026 award winners
These four companies stood out from more than 100 regional manufacturers who were nominated. Reviewers trained by the Sterling Council and people from the manufacturing community reviewed each one, with site visits and interviews with leaders and employees.
They were honored at the 34th Sterling Awards Banquet on May 29 at the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek in Orlando. Read the press release
Our participation in the Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence (SMBE) Award process is a transformative experience and allowed us to gain valuable insights from the Assessment Team. Their expertise helped us identify key opportunities to further elevate our operational performance and strengthen our commitment to excellence in the pharmaceutical industry. Using the feedback from the Sterling Framework is instrumental in our continuous improvement journey, where we continue to raise the bar to ensure we can meet our mission of helping you ‘See Better to Live Better’.”
Ready to nominate your company, or one you know?
Any manufacturing company with a production facility can be nominated, including your own.
Nominations must be received by November 20th, 2026.
The SMBEA Organizational Profile, to be completed by nominated organizations, is due December 18th, 2026.