Techno-Physik best Vaillant Group supplier for 2005

Remscheid/Frankfurt am Main, 17 March 2005

The Vaillant Group's top award of 'Excellent Supplier 2005' went to the German company Techno-Physik Group, which manufactures insulations for burners and heat exchangers. The award was one of six made by the heating technology manufacturer at the International Sanitary and Heating Fair ISH in Frankfurt to its best suppliers across Europe for their outstanding cooperation. Vaillant Group Managing Director Dr Michel Brosset, Pascal Janot (Director, Purchasing/Research and Development) and Klaus Jesse (Managing Director Vaillant Germany) presented the top prize during a ceremony at the Group's fair stand to Uwe Balshüsemann, Managing Director of the Techno-Physik Group. Also awarded were DuPont Powder Coatings, of Cologne, Germany, Waak Beschutte Werkplaats, of Kuurne, Belgium, BIW Isolierstoffe, of Ennepetal, Germany, Cast Futura Group, of Terno D'Isola, Italy, and Alfa Laval, of Lund, Sweden.

An international team in the Purchasing and Quality Management divisions of the Vaillant Group had earlier closely examined a great number of suppliers as part of a wide-ranging assessment process. The criteria for awards were product quality, delivery deadline fidelity and cooperation with Vaillant's Quality, Development, Purchasing and Production divisions. "The Techno-Physik Group is 'best in class’ for its extraordinary quality and high performance standard, which match the high demands of the Vaillant Group," said Pascal Janot at the prize-giving. The Techno-Physik Group, based in Essen, has more than 150 employees worldwide, achieves annual sales of about €34 million and has factories in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovenia. Its initiative in innovation projects and daily cooperation confirm its excellent performance. In 2004 alone, the company supplied more than 350 types of insulation to Vaillant factories in Europe.

Among the other five Vaillant award-winners, DuPont Powder Coatings, of Cologne, Germany, achieved in 2003 worldwide annual sales of US$ 27 billion. About 200 of its 2,400 employees are engaged in R&D work on new technologies such as thin film and acrylic powder coatings. The company has been a Vaillant Group supplier for several years and supports its activities such as optimisation of manufacturing processes. DuPont produces in Germany, the UK, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. Its products are used for outdoor architecture, automotive equipment, heating technology, household appliances and electrical equipment.
DuPont Powder Coatings was awarded for its high quality, delivery punctuality and very good technological support.

Waak Beschutte Werkplaats, of Kuurne, Belgium, has supplied the Vaillant factories in Germany, and later in the UK and Slovakia, with cable harnesses since 1989. The company was Vaillant's 'Excellent Supplier' of the Year in 2001. Together with Vaillant, it further improved its components, optimised quality and reduced costs. In 2004, Waak achieved sales to the Vaillant Group of about €4 million and had a total of 1,650 employees, including 1,350 disabled people.

BIW Isolierstoffe GmbH, of Ennepetal, Germany, has supplied Vaillant since 1972 with flexible pipes, profiles and silicon seals and has annual sales to the Vaillant Group of up to €1.7 million. In line with the Vaillant processes of continual improvement, the company's commitment has made a great contribution to achieving ambitious targets on quality and costs. BIW won its award for its close cooperation with Vaillant on innovation projects and its great flexibility and efficiency.

Vaillant last year intensified its cooperation with the Cast Futura Group, of Terno D’Isola, Italy. Since its founding in 1969 the company has successfully manufactured a range of core domestic appliance components, including ignition and ionisation electrodes for heating appliances. It has supplied Vaillant's factories in Nantes and Skalica for the last three years. Due to the company's close and partner-like cooperation, significant improvements with regard to product features, manufacturing processes, quality and costs have been achieved. Both sides are aiming to deepen their cooperation even further.

Alfa Laval, of Lund, Sweden, is the leading supplier of systems for heat transfer and fluid handling solutions for the food and heating technology industries. The company has supplied various Vaillant manufacturing bases with secondary heat exchangers since 1995, and thereby achieves annual sales of about €7.5 million. Thanks to its strategy of continuous improvement of product reliability, Alfa Laval is itself an extremely reliable partner in the realisation of ambitious quality targets.

The Vaillant Group, based in Remscheid, Germany, is one of the leading companies in the European heating technology industry. With 9,894 employees, it achieved sales in 2004 of about €1.8 billion.


Contact
Stefan Jakubik
Press Officer
Vaillant Group
42850 Remscheid
Germany
Phone: +49 2191 18-3731
Mobile: +49 171 9763231
Fax: +49 2191 18-2895
E-mail: stefan.jakubik@vaillant.de
www.vaillant-group.com