Vibracoustic North America's Manchester, N.H. Facility Earns 'Nobel Prize' of Manufacturing

PLYMOUTH, Mich., March 12 -- The Microcellular Urethane (MCU) Products Lead Center of Vibracoustic North America in Manchester, N.H. has been honored with the 2003 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing in recognition of its world-class achievements in manufacturing, quality, productivity and customer satisfaction.

The prestigious award, considered to be the Nobel Prize of manufacturing, will be presented to the MCU Products Lead Center and 13 other recipients at the 15th Annual Shingo Prize Conference and Awards Ceremony at the Marriott Renaissance Center in Detroit on May 14, 2003.

"It is truly an honor to be a recipient of the well-known and highly- respected Shingo Prize," said Paul J. Parent, president of Vibracoustic North America, the vibration control business of Freudenberg-NOK. "This is something that we as a company have strived to obtain since being formed in 2000. Five Freudenberg-NOK facilities have been named recipients in the past, and it is a great accomplishment to now be recognized with them among the industry's premier manufacturers."

"This award really belongs to the 150 associates at the lead center who embody the essence of lean systems," said Phil Vecchione, general manager, MCU Products Lead Center. "It symbolizes their dedication to the continuous improvement culture that enables us to provide world-class products for our customers on time, every time."

The 32,000-square-foot MCU Product Lead Center shares a 119,000-square- foot facility with two other Freudenberg-NOK business units -- the Gasket Lead Center (a Shingo Prize recipient in 1998) and the Bonded Pistons Lead Center. With $40 million in sales for 2002, the MCU Product Lead Center produces over 23 million parts annually, primarily for automotive customers.

The MCU Lead Center's product line includes MCU jounce bumpers, spring isolators and body mounts, which reduce vehicle noise, vibration and harshness.

In previous years, the Shingo Prize was presented to Freudenberg-NOK facilities in Shelbyville, Ind., Cleveland, Ga. and LaGrange, Ga., as well as the company's minority joint venture, Vibration Control Technologies, in Ligonier, Ind. Freudenberg-NOK is one of the leading recipients of the prestigious award, placing fourth amongst all recipients based on the total number of awards received by a company in the history of the Shingo Prize.

Established in 1988, the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing recognizes companies throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico that have demonstrated outstanding achievements in manufacturing processes leading to quality enhancement, productivity improvement and customer satisfaction. The prize -- known as one of the "Triple Crown" awards for industrial excellence, along with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the Deming Prize -- is administered by the Office of Business Relations in the College of Business of Utah State University.

Named in honor of the late Dr. Shigeo Shingo -- one of the world's leading experts on improving the manufacturing process and one of the creators of the renowned Toyota Production System -- the prize is awarded to businesses after a rigorous application review and site inspection by a board of examiners. The philosophy of the Shingo Prize is that world-class status may be achieved through improving manufacturing processes, implementing lean, just-in-time philosophies and systems, eliminating waste and achieving zero defects -- to continuously improve products and costs.

Vibracoustic North America is part of Vibracoustic Worldwide, one of the world's largest automotive vibration control enterprises, focused on total vehicle NVH solutions and capable of serving automakers in any region of the world.

Vibracoustic North America is headquartered in Plymouth, Mich., with a $7 million, state-of-the-art technology and testing facility housing a complete range of NVH-related analytical and test equipment, including full chassis and engine dynamometers in anechoic chambers.

The company uses advanced computer-modeling and analytical capabilities to help automakers take a systems approach to NVH reduction early in the vehicle development stage, with the goals of reducing cost, weight, and development time and enhancing customer satisfaction.

A leading supplier of vibration control products and North America's leading producer of microcellular urethane NVH components, Vibracoustic North America offers NVH design solutions and a broad portfolio of components and packages, including engine, body and cradle mounts; jounce bumpers and -- through its Vibration Control Technologies, LLC joint venture -- torsional vibration dampers. It also offers unique capabilities for complete noise path analysis, an intense focus on analytical techniques and an expanded product line that includes suspension air springs, conventional and hydraulic chassis bushings, dynamic tilgers and other innovative NVH components.