COLLIERVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Carrier's Collierville residential air conditioner and heat pump operation has been named one of IndustryWeek's top 10 Best Plants in North America. This is the fourth consecutive year a Carrier facility has been honored with the Best Plants title. [ Carrier ] is the world's leader in high technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions, and a part of UTC Climate, Controls and Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

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"Receiving this recognition for the fourth time is truly an honor and highlights the hard work and dedication of all of our employees in Collierville," said Geraud Darnis, president & chief executive officer, UTC Climate, Controls & Security. "This award also validates our commitment to Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE), United Technologies' Operating System that drives world class processes and results that delight our customers and shareholders."

Established in 1990, the IndustryWeek Best Plants awards program annually recognizes plants, located in North America, that are on the leading edge of efforts to increase competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction and create stimulating and rewarding work environments. Its further goal is to encourage other manufacturing managers and work teams to emulate the honorees by adopting world-class practices, technologies and improvement strategies.

Winners of the Best Plants award are selected based on performance metrics as well as dedication to continually improving people, processes and performance. Carrier's chiller operations in Charlotte, N.C., the Carrier Carlyle Stone Mountain, Ga. compressor factory, and UT Electronic Controls factory in Huntington, Ind., received IndustryWeek Best Plants awards in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

"Carrier Collierville has talented people, winning strategies and a continuous-improvement mind-set. This is a combination that drives world-class performances," said Jill Jusko, senior editor and Best Plants director, IndustryWeek. "IndustryWeek congratulates Carrier Collierville on its achievements, and we are pleased to share its story with a wider audience."

Carrier Collierville employs more than 1,300 people and manufactures residential air conditioners and heat pumps. The products built in this facility include the award-winning Carrier® [ Infinity® Series central air conditioner ] and the [ Infinity® 20 heat pump with Greenspeed™ intelligence ]. With up to 21 seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER), the Infinity air conditioner is a Consumers Digest® Best Buy™ award winner, selected on factors such as energy efficiency, noise levels, features and the manufacturer's reputation for reliability. The Infinity heat pump with Greenspeed intelligence is an award winner as well, voted No. 1 in the category of forced-air cooling equipment at HVAC Comfortech 2011, a heating and cooling industry event. With a heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF) efficiency rating up to 13, the Infinity 20 heat pump has the highest heating efficiency of any ducted, air source heat pump on the market.

Carrier Collierville's award application detailed its commitment to ACE, and in May 2011, Carrier Collierville became United Technologies largest ACE Gold site. Process improvements and problem-solving techniques have reaped rewards for Carrier Collierville, with a 50 percent reduction in the customer reject rate in the past four years, as well as a 79 percent reduction in scrap costs over the same time frame.

Multiple measures contributed to these results, including making changes to the work area, and improved lighting and modifications to the fixture that holds the piece during the brazing operation. This resulted in a nearly 50 percent reduction in leaks and the associated repair costs. The team also modified equipment in the coil shop operations, reducing an eight-minute changeover to a 10-second changeover -- a reduction of more than 90 percent.

"The plant's greatest asset is the culture -- people who apply the right tools with competency to understand customer value, the processes that create the value and to solve problems wherever value is lost," said Phil Grady, Carrier Collierville general manager. "ACE is how we do business."

Carrier's Collierville operation will be honored at the 2012 IndustryWeek Best Plants conference scheduled for April 23-25, 2012 in Indianapolis, Ind.

About Carrier
Carrier is the world's leader in high technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions. Carrier experts provide sustainable solutions, integrating energy efficient products, building controls, and energy services for residential, commercial, retail, transport and food service customers. Founded by the inventor of modern air conditioning, Carrier improves the world around us through engineered innovation and environmental stewardship. Carrier is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. Visit [ www.carrier.com ] for more information.

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Carrier's Collierville Operation Named a Top North American Plant by IndustryWeek

Carrier's Collierville Operation Named a Top North American Plant by IndustryWeek