This year’s winners — North Mankato, MN; Arlington Heights, IL; and Laredo, TX — each represent a different size tier based on workforce and hours worked.

For manufacturers, the recognition reflects more than safety compliance. It highlights how structured safety systems, operator engagement and leadership involvement contribute directly to stable, repeatable production.

At the Arlington Heights facility, which manufactures respiratory care products, the award marks a third consecutive win, an outcome leadership attributes to process discipline and workforce ownership on the floor.

“Reaching this milestone is no coincidence and is the result of a disciplined process, strong leadership on each team and team members who take pride in doing their work safely and correctly,” said Terry Mills, director of operations manufacturing .

That consistency is especially important in medical product assembly, where process variation can affect both product quality and regulatory compliance.

At the Laredo, TX, facility, safety is framed as a system built into daily operations rather than a separate initiative. Leadership emphasizes designing processes that protect operators while maintaining throughput.

“Working in a facility where safety is a top priority means I can focus on doing my job confidently, knowing that employees are valued and protected every day,” said Ashley Lara, a production supervisor.

In North Mankato, MN, leadership pointed to shared responsibility on the shop floor as a key driver of performance, with employees actively reinforcing safe work practices during production.

“It reflects the way our employees look out for one another every day and take pride in doing the job the right way,” said Matt Nuytten, director of manufacturing operations.

Medline’s tiered structure for the Golden Cone Awards allows the company to benchmark safety performance from smaller operations to high-volume plants.

“The quality our healthcare customers rely on every day comes from our team members,” said Amanda Laabs, executive vice president and chief product officer. “These awards recognize the dedication of our teams and the pride they take in doing their jobs in a safe manner that delivers for the healthcare industry.”

For manufacturers, the takeaway is clear. Safety systems that are embedded into production—not layered on top of it—can support both workforce protection and consistent assembly performance across high-mix, high-volume operations.