Ford Recognizes Brown & Sharpe With Q1 Award

13 September 2000

Ford Recognizes Brown & Sharpe With Q1 Award

    NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I.--Sept. 12, 2000--Brown & Sharpe has received the prestigious Q1 Award from Ford Motor Company recognizing its implementation of world class manufacturing. Brown & Sharpe is the first North American manufacturer of coordinate measuring machines to receive the award.
    Since it was established by Ford in 1981, the Q1 certification has recognized suppliers who demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement in manufacturing quality.
    "Brown & Sharpe has worked very hard and has shown a strong commitment as a supplier to Ford Motor Company. They have satisfied all the necessary efforts to achieve Q1," said Marion Griffin, Ford's North American Vehicle Operations Purchasing Specialist.
    Brown & Sharpe has been a Ford supplier for nearly 100 years, and began supplying manual coordinate measuring machines to them in 1968 and direct computer control coordinate measuring machines in 1982. Brown & Sharpe is also a long time member of the exclusive Ford Supplier Council.
    The Q1 certification process combines Brown & Sharpe's ISO 9001 registration with an analysis of how well the company meets an added set of specific Ford total quality management procedures for tooling and equipment manufacturers.
    "The Q1 endorsement is recognition that Ford considers Brown & Sharpe a true global production partner sharing the same quality goals and focus on continuous improvement," said Philip James, Brown & Sharpe Group Vice President, Measuring Systems.