Schaeffler plant wins 2011 Wales Quality Award

At this year's Wales Quality Awards 2011, Schaeffler UK received the 'Chairman's Prize for Automotive Excellence', a newly established awards category for 2011 that recognises outstanding achievements of Welsh companies operating in this important sector of the economy.

Three representatives from Schaeffler UK accepted the award on behalf of the company at a ceremony held at the City Hall, Cardiff, on 8 December 2011: Dorian Quirk (UK Quality Manager), Donna Williams-Bevan (Training Officer) and Adrian Roberts (HR Director).

The Wales Quality Award is an annual competition based on the EFQM European Excellence Model. The awards are open to all types of business operating in Wales, including manufacturing firms, financial organisations, service providers, educational establishments and local councils. Many organisations that take part in the awards process do so every year, as they use the process as a fundamental part of their company's planning process to drive further business improvements.

Automotive excellence

Established in 1955, Schaeffler's Llanelli plant manufactures high-precision automotive engine components. It currently employs 240 people and is an autonomous subsidiary of the multinational German-owned Schaeffler Group.

In November 2011 a team of five independent assessors visited Llanelli to conduct a thorough quality audit of the Schaeffler plant. Dorian Quirk, Quality Manager at Schaeffler UK, was responsible for the plant's submission. He comments: "As a team, we see our annual entry to the Wales Quality Award as an independent assessment and benchmark of what we are doing well, but it is more than just a desire to win awards. We see the submission activity as a method of checking our own progress toward our visions and goals.

"The award process is a great business tool, helping us identify where we can continually improve the partnerships that we maintain with our customers. Achieving an award for the fourth year in succession is a well received honour, particularly when we consider some of the other excellent Welsh companies out there."