Precision bearings supplier The Barden Corporation has been awarded a ‘Supply Chain Excellence Bronze Award’ from SELEX GALILEO, a Finmeccanica Company.

The Award was given to Barden in recognition of the company’s excellent quality and delivery performance over the last 12 months. On-time deliveries over the period were higher than 95 per cent and quality targets were higher than 98 per cent. Barden is the only bearing supplier to have been formally recognised in this way by SELEX GALILEO, the UK’s largest defence electronics company.

Chris Lines, Head of Procurement at SELEX GALILEO based in Basildon said: “This is an outstanding achievement by Barden and demonstrates the company’s total commitment to our supply chain improvement programme. We’ve had a very good working relationship with the people at Barden for more than 10 years now and like the company’s whole organisational approach. Barden is valued as a strategic supplier.”

SELEX GALILEO introduced its Supply Chain Excellence Awards in 2000. Since that time, only seven suppliers (including Barden) have been formally recognised by the company, each having received a Bronze Award. To achieve a Gold Award, suppliers must achieve in excess of a 99% rating in both quality and on-time deliveries.

The Awards programme helped form the foundation for the UK Aerospace and Defence industry’s 21st Century Supply Chains (SC21) programme, hence Barden are now well positioned to achieve SC21 awards within their membership. Overseen by the Society of British Aerospace Companies’ (SBAC) Enterprise Excellence Board, SC21 aims to accelerate the competitiveness of the UK aerospace and defence industry. With international competition increasing, the participation of companies of all sizes throughout the UK supply chain is crucial to delivering real results from this modernisation programme.

Chris Lines continues: “We developed the Supply Chain Excellence programme to help us share best practice and work in partnership with our strategic suppliers, in order to improve delivery, cost, quality, management systems and reduce waste. Suppliers achieving and maintaining high performance against our excellence standards receive formal recognition through our Bronze, Silver and Gold Supply Chain Excellence Awards.”

http://www.bardenbearings.co.uk