Mumbai: Global consulting and market research firm Frost & Sullivan has awarded the Indian Manufacturing Excellence (IME) gold award for global leadership in silicon-based technology to Dow Corning Corporation's plant at Ranjangaon near Pune.

The award recognises the Dow Corning plan's global standard manufacturing excellence, its strict quality and safety norms.

Raj Kapur, chairman and managing director for Dow Corning in India, attributed the company's success to sustained efforts in raising the bar in quality and manufacturing excellence. "We see this prestigious award as recognition of our endeavours to implement world-class manufacturing practices in India, as well as our strong commitment to quality, safety and the environment. Given that our plant in India has been operational for just over two years now, we are especially pleased that we have been able to demonstrate our adherence to global standards of manufacturing excellence."

Speaking at the IME awards ceremony, Anand Rangachary, managing director, Frost & Sullivan, South Asia and Middle East said, "Manufacturing excellence initiatives have to deliver their value in enhancing medium and long term competitive advantage. It is the ability of recognizing this and subsequently prioritising the activities that help in aligning the manufacturing strategy with organisational vision and goals." 

Based on self-assessed checklists and matrices to define business performance, Dow Corning was one of more than 50 companies that were short-listed for site visits, to be evaluated on factors such as Focus on Customers, Safety and Environment, Supply Chain, Quality Systems, amongst others. These factors are globally known to reflect facilities' progress towards flexibility and leanness and are associated with manufacturing excellence.

Judges conducted an audit of these practices during a two-day visit to the Dow Corning's manufacturing site in Pune.  The award was made to Dow Corning following a written assessment of Dow Corning's performance on more than 10 factors including innovation and leadership commitment.

Dow Corning was established in 1943 to explore the potential of silicones, as a joint venture between Corning Glass Works (now Corning, Incorporated) and The Dow Chemical Company. 

Today Dow Corning provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicon-based technology and innovation, offering more than 7,000 products and services, Dow Corning is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning's annual sales are outside the United States.

In India, Dow Corning is one of the fastest growing specialty chemical companies and serves customers across India and South Asia.