The Schaeffler Group’s LuK Brand Receives Ford Recognition of Achievement Award

At the Ford World Excellence Award ceremony held recently in Dearborn, Mich., LuK — a brand of the Schaeffler Group — received the Recognition of Achievement award for its successful warranty reduction program in Europe.

The LuK initiative to reduce warranty cost comprises a number of effective measures, including strict quality control, detailed field analysis and the installation of an early warning system based on figures supplied by both customers and LuK’s in-field service data.

“We are deeply honored to receive this prestigious award from Ford, being one of the 47 out of 2,400 Ford suppliers to be recognized,” said Ashi Uppal, LuK’s global key account management for Ford. “Of course, we are determined to continue to work with our customers in order to achieve further reductions in warranty costs and ensure profitable growth for all.”

As a Ford supplier since the 1970s, LuK supplies a variety of products to the Ford Group. Its clutches, dual-mass flywheels or torque converters are found in the transmission of almost every Ford, Mazda, Jaguar, Land Rover or Volvo sold in Europe, North America, South America and Asia.

The Schaeffler Group, with its brands INA, LuK and FAG, and approximately 66,000 employees at more than 180 locations in 50 countries, generates group sales of more than 8.9 billion euros (FY 2007) and ranks amongst the leading rolling bearing manufacturers and suppliers to the automotive industry worldwide. Affiliated companies include Schaeffler KG with its head office at Herzogenaurach and the brandnames INA and FAG, as well as the LuK Group, whose head office is located in Buhl/Baden.

To serve the North American automotive market, the Schaeffler Group operates a 78,000-square-foot North American Automotive Tech Center in Troy, Mich. This facility employs 165 engineers and technicians and houses a 30,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art test lab outfitted with multiple test cells capable of performing test simulations for engine and engine components. Schaeffler Group Automotive has headquarters in Fort Mill, S.C. and manufacturing facilities in South Carolina, Missouri, Ohio and Ontario, Canada.