Ford Motor Company Presents GNB Technologies With Gold Award
31 March 2000
Ford Motor Company Presents GNB Technologies With Gold Award for World Excellence; Second Consecutive Award for Battery Company
ATLANTA--March 31, 2000--GNB Technologies Inc. has earned the prestigious Ford Motor Company Gold World Excellence Award for 1999, its second consecutive World Excellence Award from Ford. GNB, a leading manufacturer and recycler of lead-acid batteries, including batteries for the original equipment and aftermarket, has been a supplier of starting batteries to Ford for 28 years.GNB is one of 11 Gold Award winners from among Ford suppliers, earning the 1999 recognition for its quality, cost and delivery of Motorcraft(R) original equipment batteries. In 1998, when Ford initiated the recognition program for its suppliers, GNB earned a Silver World Excellence Award for product quality. It is the only battery supplier to have won two consecutive World Excellence Awards, Ford's highest form of supplier recognition.
GNB is a global supplier to Ford, providing batteries to 11 Ford assembly plants in North America and Australia. It also provides global technical support to the Ford Vehicle Engineering Centers in Dearborn, Michigan and Dunton, England.
GNB and Ford engineers have collaborated to develop the industry leading automotive battery technology used in Ford vehicles today. The cornerstone of the Ford "best in class" Motorcraft(R) battery is the GNB AG-9(TM) Alloy, a patented silver alloy that has virtually eliminated premature battery failure caused by the ravages of high heat.
GNB's engineering developments have extended the battery life for Ford vehicles, reduced Ford's battery warranty exposure and significantly contributed to an improvement in customer satisfaction with Ford vehicles.
Ford executives presented the World Excellence Award to GNB CEO Thomas O. Minner in a ceremony on March 27 at the Detroit Opera House in downtown Detroit, Michigan.
"GNB, as one of the suppliers who have earned the award, is a member of an exclusive, world class club. It has delivered outstanding efforts in the areas of quality, cost and delivery," said Carlos Mazzorin, Ford Group Vice President, Global Purchasing and South America. "GNB's contributions helped Ford achieve our successful results in 1999, and support the continuing success of Ford Motor Company."
GNB manufactures the Motorcraft batteries in its Dunmore, Pennsylvania and Shreveport, Louisiana manufacturing facilities.
"Ford Motor Company has been a GNB partner for more than a quarter of a century, and we don't take the relationship for granted," said GNB CEO Thomas O. Minner. "The recognition from Ford energizes our drive to continue advancing battery technology to better serve Ford customers worldwide."
The 1999 Gold World Excellence Award from Ford is the sixth major industry award GNB has earned from its customers for 1999.
Editor's Note: Atlanta-based GNB Technologies is an integrated provider of power technology products. It manufactures and recycles lead-acid batteries for the automotive, recreational boating, farm, heavy duty truck, electric utility, industrial electric vehicle, photovoltaic, lift truck, railroad, telecommunications and uninterruptible power supply markets in more than 50 countries. GNB Technologies is wholly owned by Pacific Dunlop Limited of Melbourne, Australia , which is traded as an ADR. GNB can be found on the Internet at www.gnb.com. Motorcraft (R) is a registered trademark of the Ford Motor Company. AG-9 Alloy(TM) is a trademark of GNB Technologies.