Nissan North America, Inc., and Ford Motor Co. recently honored Henkel Loctite Corp. (formerly Loctite Corp.), Rocky Hill, Conn., with quality awards.

Zero Defect Award

In September 2001, Ford recognized the adhesive and sealant manufacturer with its Zero Defect Award for providing products that have resulted in zero defects for four consecutive years at Ford's Lima, Ohio, engine-manufacturing plant. "Zero defects" is defined by Ford as responsibility for zero quality issues found in receiving or production during a defined period, typically one year. Only four suppliers have ever achieved this four-year zero-defect status at Ford's Lima engine plant, and Loctite is the only adhesives and sealants supplier in the group.

According to Charles J. Evans, vice president and general manager of Henkel Loctite automotive operations, "It takes many committed people, a lot of hard work, and clear and ongoing communications on both Ford's part and ours to reach this level of service."

Quality Master Award

In April of this year, Nissan North America, Inc., presented Henkel Loctite with its 2001 Quality Master Award, which recognizes Nissan's best suppliers for delivering ongoing excellence in product quality, response time, cost-reduction capabilities, design support, product performance and other critical evaluation parameters. Henkel Loctite supplies Nissan's Smyrna, Tenn., manufacturing plant with adhesive and sealant products and processes.

With the 2001 recognition, Henkel Loctite has received the Quality Master Award from Nissan for five consecutive years. "Nissan has very rigorous standards for quality, delivery and service, so we are extremely honored by this award and are pleased to have such an excellent long-term relationship with the company," Evans said. "We are committed to continuing our record of excellence with Nissan and all of our automotive customers into the future."