FINDLAY, Ohio—Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies' fluid power automotive lead center in Findlay has been selected as a finalist in the 2014 IndustryWeek Best Plants competition, which the firm said recognizes the best manufacturing facilities in North America.
Freudenberg said its Findlay plant is a lean benchmark among its 23 facilities operating in the Americas. The plant maintains nearly perfect statistics in the areas of quality, delivery and customer retention, according to Freudenberg.
Freudenberg said IndustryWeek will reveal the final winners of its 2014 competition later this year.
“This recognition is a tremendous testament to the skills of our people and the success of our processes in Findlay,” Roy Schroeder, Findlay's lead center manager, fluid power, said in a statement.
Findlay has become the company's lead facility in its successful adoption of a new manufacturing approach, single cavity net shape molding. Freudenberg said the approach uses compact, custom-engineered one cavity injection and compression molding machines instead of multi-cavity machines to produce thermoplastic parts.
Freudenberg said the process improves part quality and reduces scrap and waste.