H.C. Starck Wins the "Judges' Special Award" at the 20th Best Factory Awards 2011 in London

MUNICH, Germany, Oct. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- H.C. Starck's UK facility in Calne was honored to receive the "Judges' Special Award" at the 20th Best Factory Awards 2011 held September 30th at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel in London. In addition, H.C. Starck Calne was recognized for its achievements in factory health and safety.

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At the Best Factory Awards 2011, the Cranfield School of Management, one of Europe's leading university management schools, and Works Management magazine honored British companies that demonstrated manufacturing excellence in the UK.

H.C. Starck contributes its manufacturing success to the introduction of Continuous Improvement techniques: Lean Manufacturing initiatives, Six Sigma training, and other improvement techniques that focus on customer satisfaction, product quality, and on-time delivery. The Calne plant realized immediate benefits in waste reduction, productivity optimization, streamlined processes, improved efficiencies, and cost reductions from the manufacturing changes.

"We are delighted to receive this award, because it honors the ongoing quality efforts of our employees," said Andreas Meier, CEO of H.C. Starck Group. "We have ambitious growth targets which we can only achieve with satisfied customers. Therefore, the continuous improvement of our products and the efficiency of production processes are key factors for our business success."

"The Calne Plant provides a great example of how a continuous improvement culture can transform a facility from second rate to first class business partner. The Calne team has embraced and integrated the concepts of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma into their culture. Calne focused on the process, and the results now speak for themselves," said Mark Confroy, Chief Operating Officer of H.C. Starck's Fabricated Products Business Unit.

H.C. Starck targeted process and product improvement through disc flatness by investing in cutting edge metrology equipment. Today, H.C. Starck's precision, semiconductor discs have a standard flatness tolerance of 4 microns on a 140mm diameter disc. This is an achievement that provides genuine market differentiation, and emphasizes a commitment to quality and cost-effective material processing of components for high-end power products, which is mandatory to have a competitive edge.

About H.C. Starck

H.C. Starck is a leading global supplier of refractory metals and technical ceramics, and serves growing industries such as the electronics, chemicals, automotive, medical technology, aerospace, energy technology, and environmental technology industries, as well as mechanical engineering and tool manufacturers. H.C. Starck has 12 modern manufacturing facilities located in Europe, America, and Asia, with close to 3,000 employees worldwide. More news on H.C. Starck is available at www.hcstarck.com

SOURCE H.C. Starck