MONROE, MI  -- IndustryWeek magazine today named the La-Z-Boy Dayton, TN manufacturing facility as one of its 10 Best Plants in North America for 2012. The plant has been named a finalist for the past three years, however, this is the first time the company has received the prestigious recognition.

The IndustryWeek Best Plants Awards program, now in its 23rd year, annually salutes outstanding manufacturing facilities on the leading edge of efforts to increase competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction, and create stimulating and rewarding work environments.

"We are pleased that La-Z-Boy has been recognized with this prestigious honor for our lean and continuous improvement efforts as we strive to deliver the highest quality products to our customers," said Kurt Darrow , president and chief executive officer for La-Z-Boy, Inc. "I applaud and thank all of our associates for their hard work and dedication to ensure our Dayton facility is a world-class manufacturing operation that is unmatched by others in the industry."

The Dayton, TN location opened in 1973 and currently occupies more than 1.2 million square feet. As one of the largest employers in the community, the company's nearly 1,300 associates manufacture La-Z-Boy's fully customizable furniture line including sofas, chairs, ottomans and more.

Key components to the plant's success include just-in-time material supply and replenishment, on-time delivery, and repeatable and sustainable quality products. The facility has also seen impressive results through its lean manufacturing efforts in the areas of scrap reduction, production lead time, productivity and safety.

Other recent achievements include the Tennessee Commissioner's Safety Award, U.S. Air Force Partnership Award, Governor's Award for Trade Excellence, Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence, and Enhancing Furniture's Environmental Culture certification through the American Home Furnishings Alliance.

Jill Jusko , senior editor for IndustryWeek said, "We believe the La-Z-Boy Dayton, TN facility is a pacesetter among North American manufacturers in terms of operational strategy, production practices and performance, and will continue to lead the way in the future."

The winners will be honored during an awards ceremony at the 2013 IndustryWeek Best Plants conference (iwbestplants.com), where they also will share their stories of operational excellence and continuous improvement. The conference is April 22-24 in Greenville, S.C.

About IndustryWeek's Best Plants Award Competition:

Established in 1990, the IndustryWeek Best Plants awards program annually recognizes plants, located in North America, that are on the leading edge of efforts to increase competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction and create stimulating and rewarding work environments. Its further goal is to encourage other manufacturing managers and work teams to emulate the honorees by adopting world-class practices, technologies, and improvement strategies. For additional information, visit www.industryweek.com/iwbestplants.

Source: La-Z-Boy