For the second consecutive year, New Hampshire Ball Bearing's Astro Division has been honored by the United Technologies Corp. for making and providing exemplary products to its Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky Aircraft divisions.

During a mid-afternoon ceremony at its Lexington Drive plant that was attended by some 200 workers from the first and second shifts, UTC officials presented the Astro Division with its 2009 "Supplier Gold" award.

The UTC Supplier Gold program is one of the most comprehensive and demanding supplier programs in the aerospace industry. It recognizes outstanding performance in quality and delivery and also takes into account exceptional ratings in customer satisfaction and an industry-standard lean assessment.

In 2008, UTC — whose products include Carrier heating and air conditioning products, Hamilton Sundstrand aerospace systems and industrial products, Otis elevators and escalators, Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines, Sikorsky helicopters, UTC Fire & Security systems and UTC Power fuel cells — recognized the Astro Division with its top award for suppliers.

At the time, the Astro Division was only the fifth supplier — and the only bearing company, according to Minebea Co. Ltd., its corporate parent — to earn "Supplier Gold." In receiving the award last year, Astro Division also was the first Sikorsky supplier to be so honored.

NHBB spokesman Hans Baker said the back-to-back Gold Supplier honors are proof that Astro Division is a proven leader in its field.

Operations Manager Jim St. Pierre told ceremony attendees Tuesday that the awards open up new, additional opportunities for the Astro Division within the UTC family of companies.

The Astro Division is a leading domestic supplier of standard and custom-designed spherical, rod end and loader slot bearings to the aerospace market. More than 400 employees work in the 177,000 square foot manufacturing space located in the O'Shea Industrial Park.

The Astro Division is one of NHBB's three state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in the U.S. that produce a diverse range of precision-bearing products for customers in the commercial and military aerospace, medical-dental, computer and industrial markets.

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