COLUMBIA, SC (Press Release) – An ATV maker, a manufacturer of treated wood products and a carbon fiber producer are among five companies to be honored April 14 at the 2015 Salute to Manufacturing Awards Luncheon in connection with the South Carolina Manufacturing Conference and Expo, slated for April 13-15, 2015 in Greenville, South Carolina.

Gov. Nikki Haley will be the keynote speaker at the luncheon.

“We are pleased to have this chance to recognize the critical importance of manufacturing to South Carolina,” said Grady Johnson, group publisher of SC Biz News, which is presenting the conference with Dixon Hughes Goodman.

These are the companies that are winners of the Silver Crescent Award for Manufacturing Excellence Awards for 2015:

  • BorgWarner, Seneca, S.C., part of the TorqTransfer Systems business unit. Its primary product is transfer cases for 4WD and AWD pickup trucks, SUVs and passenger cars.
  • Cox Industries, Orangeburg, S.C., a family-owned and operated manufacturer and distributor of treated outdoor wood products for the residential, commercial, industrial and utility markets.
  • Honda of South Carolina Manufacturing Inc., Timmonsville, S.C., which has ATV and side-by-side manufacturing facilities. It is one of Honda’s 14 major factories in North America.
  • Mack Molding Co., Southern Division, Inman, S.C., supplying leading plastic injection molding and contract manufacturing services to a variety of industries.

The Silver Crescent Award is presented to companies that earn or surpass a specified score on seven criteria. Winners of this award, to be announced at the luncheon, demonstrate superior performance in seven categories: citizenship, employee engagement, customer satisfaction, environmental stewardship, innovation, financial performance and longevity plan.

In addition, the inaugural Smart Choice SC Award will be given to Toray Industries, a Tokyo-based company that will invest $1 billion in building an advanced materials manufacturing plant in Moore, S.C. Toray is the world’s largest producer of carbon fiber.  Making one of the largest initial investments in state history, Toray plans to create 500 jobs.  This award honors a company that has made a significant economic development announcement for South Carolina in the previous year.