8 December, 2015 – Following successful certification for automotive manufacturing quality from International Automotive Task Force (IATF), Saint-Gobain, producers of NORGLIDE® Bearings, has announced that its new Bekashi Plant in Jakarta, Indonesia, has moved into full production. The plant represents a great advancement for Saint-Gobain in the country and is the company’s first composite bearing production facility in Indonesia, which produces sliding bearings with a self-lubricating liner of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This facility brings Saint-Gobain’s state of the art technology, manufacturing processes and expertise, which has established NORGLIDE® bearings as a market leader in bearing performance, closer to customers in the expanding Indonesian market.
Developed by IATF, ISO/TS 16949 is the globally recognised technical specification and quality management standard for the automotive industry. The certification brings together standards from across Europe and the US to define best practice for design, development, manufacture, install or service of automotive products. Attaining this certification marks a landmark accomplishment for Saint-Gobain’s production in Indonesia. The occasion was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, where Saint-Gobain executives announced the commencement of full scale quality approved production.
“This is a momentous time for us at Saint-Gobain and for our customers”, said Stuart Kelly, Marketing Manager Asia. “Achieving automotive quality certification is a great step forward for us and a testament to the hard work of our talented team on the ground in Jakarta. The significant strategic investment in this new facility demonstrates our commitment to our Tier 1 and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) partners in Indonesia. Plus, it strengthens our presence in the wider pan-Asian market, allowing closer co-operation, a more responsive service and reducing customer lead times and inventory holdings. At Saint-Gobain, we make the small parts that make a big difference, and the new facility allows us to deliver for our customers today and gives us capacity to expand operations in line with the market going forward”.
Indonesia is the world’s fourth-most populous country and the Indonesian automotive market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 7.3 per cent between 2015 and 2020[1] according to a KPMG study. The facility is initially focussing on customer demand for established NORGLIDE® solutions for applications within the seat and hinge categories. Each NORGLIDE® bearing solution is custom developed with experienced Saint-Gobain engineers in partnership with the customer to deliver on OEM specification and make a big difference to the end user.
Thanks to their PTFE liners and filler compounds, NORGLIDE® composite bearings are corrosion-resistant and maintenance-free, offering consistent controlled friction over the life time of the automobile. The PTFE liner compensates for misalignments and tolerances in case of thermal expansion. NORGLIDE® composite bearings can be customised for various automotive applications to ensure optimum weight, wear and tear resistance, as well as noise and vibration dampening.
More information about Saint-Gobain solutions can be found at www.makingabigdifference.com.
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About Saint-Gobain
Saint-Gobain is a global leader in the design, production and distribution of innovative, high performance materials for industry and employs around 190,000 people. With operations in 64 countries, Saint-Gobain is among the top 100 global industrial companies worldwide. In 2014, Saint-Gobain achieved global sales of over €41 billion. Saint-Gobain is listed on the stock exchanges of Paris, London, Frankfurt, Zurich, Brussels and Amsterdam. Saint-Gobain’s global strategy is focused around three core markets: Construction Products, Innovative Materials, and Building Distribution; and, the company is committed to play a leading role in developing energy efficient innovations for the housing and construction sectors, protecting the environment, and managing growth in a sustainable fashion.
With 15 sites and three R&D centres globally, the Bearings and Tolerance Rings Group, a division of Saint-Gobain, provides engineered components to high volume international manufacturers in the automotive, leisure, energy, electronics, industrial, and other markets. Backed by a heritage of product innovation, technology, advanced materials and market leadership, Saint-Gobain is dedicated to working with customers using its extensive engineering expertise to deliver standard and custom solutions in NORGLIDE® Bearings and RENCOL® Tolerance Rings that meet the most demanding applications. These small parts make a big difference to end product quality and performance, allowing manufacturers to enhance the smart design of their mechanisms by achieving weight and space savings. The unique composition of the engineered components ensures a perfect fit between mating parts compensating for tolerance expansion and simplifying the assembly process. By reducing vibration and harshness, Saint-Gobain’s components offer noise free solutions while controlled friction and resistance to wear and temperature guarantee mechanisms’ long life. For further information, please visit: www.bearings.saint-gobain.com
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