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Catch up on NGC information through press releases and announcements. |
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National Gypsum Plant Recognized as Top U.S. Facility
IndustryWeek magazine has selected National Gypsum Company’s wallboard production
plant in Wilmington, NC, as one of the 10 Best Plants in North America.
National Gypsum’s Wilmington Plant was one of nearly 200 facilities nominated for
the award. The magazine began its Best Plants Award Program 17 years ago as a salute
to outstanding manufacturing facilities demonstrating world-class capabilities and
a management mindset of continuous improvement.
The Wilmington Plant received the award at ceremonies at the plant September 29.
Customers as well as state and local officials joined employees for the celebration.
“This award validates our company’s focus on manufacturing excellence,” said CEO
Thomas C. Nelson. “The Wilmington Plant has been in production for nearly 30 years,
yet, as this award indicates, it is among the best in the nation. We are very proud
of our associates at Wilmington who have developed an esprit de corps which has
resulted in an insatiable appetite for excellence. They have turned this plant around
and the IndustryWeek recognition is a fitting reward for their hard work.”
The Wilmington Plant produces gypsum wallboard from rock mined at National Gypsum’s
Halifax, Nova Scotia, quarry. The rock is shipped by ocean carrier to the plant’s
dock. It is crushed and the resulting stucco is combined with other additives and
water and placed on a continuous sheet of paper. A second sheet of paper placed
on top sandwiches the stucco to form the wallboard.
To compete for the IndustryWeek award, the plant completed a comprehensive
entry covering management practices, quality, employment practices, safety, customer
service, innovation, logistics, technology investment, manufacturing flexibility,
maintenance, inventory management, environmental stewardship, and competitiveness.
Productivity and quality improvements over the past three years have been exceptional
as well as special projects to increase energy efficiency and reduce costs.
“We are now producing wallboard at about 215 feet per minute,” said Plant Manager
Steve LePage. “That is more than 30 feet faster than in 2003. Our quality is measured
by our customers and by a third-party auditing team. Three years ago, our plant
scored 600 on the audit and customers were rejecting our board. Last year, we scored
920, close to a perfect 1000. Our goal is simple – to be the best.”
Headquartered in Charlotte, National Gypsum is a leading supplier of wallboard,
interior finishing products, and cement board to the construction industry. It has
a network of 20 wallboard plants in North America, in addition to interior finishing
products and cement board plants, paper mills, and gypsum mines and quarries.
IndustryWeek magazine, the IndustryWeek.com website, and their related
media products inform manufacturing executives of issues, trends, technologies,
and manufacturing strategies that drive continuous improvement enterprise-wide.
IW is a brand of Penton Media, Inc. (www.penton.com, OTCBB:PTON), a diversified
business-to-business media company.
October 2, 2006
Contact:
Nancy Spurlock
Director, Corporate Communications
704/365-7556
nhspurlock@nationalgypsum.com
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