ATLANTA — Blue Bird’s North Georgia Body Co. plant was honored today with the Shingo Bronze Medallion, which recognizes operational excellence in manufacturing.

In the 20 years since the Shingo award was initiated, the Blue Bird facility is only the fifth in Georgia to earn one.

To be considered for the award, Blue Bird submitted a 75-page report that documented its performance in relation to the Shingo guidelines. Shingo examiners scored the report and visited the LaFayette plant to inspect it and meet with employees.

Blue Bird was given the award at a conference in Atlanta hosted by Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, which was involved with the Shingo examination.

“Blue Bird North Georgia excelled in a number of areas, including its comprehensive training and education programs; high degree of teamwork; commitment to continuous improvement and problem solving; a clear focus on safety, quality and productivity; and a good use of lean tools and principles to improve the business,” said Tim Israel, Enterprise Innovation Institute’s program manager for lean and quality services.

Next year, Blue Bird will be recognized at the International Shingo Prize Conference in San Diego.

The North Georgia Body Co. has been in operation since 1982. It currently manufactures the Blue Bird Vision school bus body and employs 455 people.