nhbb :: New Hampshire Ball Bearings Awarded UTC Supplier Gold

New Hampshire Ball Bearings Awarded UTC Supplier Gold

Astro was formally recognized at UTC’s first Supplier Gold Conference held in December of 2007 in East Hartford, CT. Over 100 suppliers from Pratt & Whitney’s Large Engine Business, Canada, Rocketdyne, Power Systems and Global Service Partners were present for the daylong summit, which included presentations and exhibits from Gold suppliers and remarks from two large and important customers, Bombardier and the U.S. Air Force. Shown here presenting the award to NHBB are Jothi Purushotaman, vice president, UTC Operations (left), Steve Finger, president, Pratt & Whitney, and Art Soucy, vice president P&W Global Supply Chain (far right). Receiving the award on behalf of NHBB Astro are Katie Ames, inside sales representative for Astro, Jim Oechsler, senior account representative for NHBB, and Jim St. Pierre, operations manager, NHBB Astro Division.

April 3, 2008 (Laconia, NH): New Hampshire Ball Bearings (NHBB), Astro Division, was recently certified as supplier Gold by United Technologies Corporation (UTC), for its business with Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky Aircraft. Astro is only the fifth supplier— and the only bearing company— to earn Supplier Gold behind a short list of global businesses that includes Volvo Aero, Singapore Aerospace Manufacturing, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Exotic Metals. Astro also was the very first Sikorsky supplier to achieve this milestone.

"NHBB's results are a tribute to the efforts of their employees and their active use of lean principles," said Anna Patrizzi, director, Small Hardware Parts Center (SHPC), Pratt & Whitney. "We are proud to have them as part of our value stream, and look forward to continuing our relationship through the years."

"We are delighted to name NHBB our first Supplier Gold recipient," said Al Altieri, vice president, Supply Management, Sikorsky. "They have earned this honor through their excellent quality, on-time delivery and cost performance. Their results clearly demonstrate the benefits Supplier Gold has for UTC customers and those divisions that share common suppliers."

The UTC Supplier Gold program is one of the most comprehensive and demanding supplier programs in the aerospace industry. Not only does it recognize outstanding performance in quality and delivery, it takes into account exceptional ratings in customer satisfaction and an industry-standard lean assessment.

“Gold suppliers demonstrate superior performance. They deliver results to the bottom line. That’s the type of supplier we want to do business with,” said Art Soucy, vice president, Pratt & Whitney Global Supply Chain. “These are suppliers that are committed to customer satisfaction and they are deeply committed to that end.”

“We are proud to receive this award on behalf of all our employees who worked long and hard to reach this goal,” said Jim St. Pierre, operations manager, NHBB Astro. “As the second largest employer in this community, it’s critical that we build strong business partnerships with our customers in order to remain healthy and productive for years to come. This award confirms that we are doing the right things to stay competitive in the global aerospace marketplace.”

United Technologies Corporation (UTC) is a diversified company whose products include Carrier heating and air conditioning products, Hamilton Sundstrand aerospace systems and industrial products, Otis elevators and escalators, Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines, Sikorsky helicopters, UTC Fire & Security systems and UTC Power fuel cells.

In addition to UTC providing a wide range of products for the commercial sector, UTC provides vital military hardware in support of our troops both in the U.S. and abroad. NHBB is extremely proud to be part of the UTC team supporting our men and women in uniform around the world.

For more information contact:
Hans Baker, Marketing Coordinator
NHBB, 175 Jaffrey Road, Peterborough, NH 03458
603.924.4100 x5405, hbaker@nhbb.com