
The Eli Whitney Productivity Award is part of the International Honor Awards, and is awarded for distinguished accomplishments in improving capability within the broad concept of orderly production.
Nomination Eligibility & Requirements
- Nominations can be submitted for both U.S. and international citizens.
- Nominees must have made significant contributions to the field of manufacturing.
To submit an International Honor Award nomination:
- Download the nomination form (MS WORD)
- Verify that the nominee meets all of the outlined eligibility requirements.
- Include three (3) letters of recommendation, preferably on letterhead; one letter should be submitted by the nominator, which briefly highlights the accomplishments of the nominee. Note: Self-nominations and/or submissions will not be accepted.
- Submit, as thoroughly as possible, supporting information (publications, innovations, patents) on the nomination form.
Send completed nomination form(s) and recommendation letters no later than Aug. 1 of each year to:
SME International Awards & Recognition Committee
c/o Executive Offices
SME
1000 Town Center, Suite 1910, Southfield, MI 48075
Fax: 313.425.3406 | Email: nominations@sme.org

Recent Award Winner
Jay Lee, PhD, FSME
Jay Lee, PhD, FSME, is the founding director of the NSF I/UCRC on Intelligent Maintenance Systems, which was selected as the most economically impactful I/UCRC in the NSF Economic Impact Study Report in 2012.
Eli Whitney Productivity Award Recipients (1957 to present)
Anderson, Robert (1975) | Harding, Kevin G. (1997) |
Ariens, Daniel T. (2007) | Inaba, Yoshiharu (2015) |
Astin, Allen V. (1960) | Innes, William D. (1973) |
Bakken, James C. (1982) | Jensen, Reuben R. (1985) |
Barcus Jr., James F. (1984)* | Juran, Joseph M. (1995) |
Basso, Robert J. (1998) | Klocke, Fritz, Prof. Dr.-Ing., FSME (2014) |
Bement Jr., Arden L., PhD (2004) | Kuhn, Howard A., PhD, PE (2011) |
Berggren, Thage (1990) | Lauwers, Bert, Prof. Dr. Ir., FSME (2020) |
Bergstrom, Swan E. (1959)* | McCoy, Brian (2000) |
Bodine, Alfred V. (1962)* | McKenna, Quentin C. (1983) |
Brainard, Wallace E. (1961) | Nagae, Akimitsu, PhD (2012) |
Caserio, Martin J. (1977) | Patterson, Charles H. (1964) |
Chambers, Thomas V. (1993) | Polk, Louis F. (1957) |
Corvi, Carolyn (2006) | Robson, Ross (2008) |
Dahotre, Narendra B., PhD, FSME (2018) | Sekimoto, Tadahiro (1994) |
Danly, James C. (1980) | Shanahan, Patrick, FSME (2016) |
Dauch, Richard E. (1987)* | Sharpe Jr., Henry D. (1976) |
Davis, Willard J. (1958)* | Stevens, Anne (2002) |
Decker Jr., Alonzo G. (1974) | Stoll, George E. (1967) |
Ekberg, Gregg (2001) | Tohmine, Ritsu (1978) |
Fee, Gordon G. (1986) | Truxell , Robert W. (1979) |
Fiorelli, Armando (1981)* | Veraldi, Lewis C. (1988)* |
Gao, Robert X. (2019) | Walker, Earl E. (1991) |
Gay, Roger B. (1965) | Whistler, L.V. Sr. (1971) |
Gleason, James S. (1999) | Whitaker, U.A. (1970) |
Hallowell Jr., H.T. (1963) | Willey, G.T. (1966) |
Hanaki, Yoshimaro (2017) | |
*Deceased |