diff --git a/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/annotation/AutowiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.java b/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/annotation/AutowiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.java
index fdfe35e7c9f..d58e9877776 100644
--- a/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/annotation/AutowiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.java
+++ b/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/annotation/AutowiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.java
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@ public class AutowiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor extends InstantiationAwareBean
 		ClassLoader cl = AutowiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.class.getClassLoader();
 		try {
 			this.autowiredAnnotationTypes.add((Class<? extends Annotation>) cl.loadClass("javax.inject.Inject"));
+			logger.info("JSR-330 'javax.inject.Inject' annotation found and supported for autowiring");
 		}
 		catch (ClassNotFoundException ex) {
 			// JSR-330 API not available - simply skip.
diff --git a/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/DefaultListableBeanFactory.java b/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/DefaultListableBeanFactory.java
index 2ae21e45431..3966d79b795 100644
--- a/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/DefaultListableBeanFactory.java
+++ b/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/DefaultListableBeanFactory.java
@@ -93,6 +93,19 @@ import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 public class DefaultListableBeanFactory extends AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory
 		implements ConfigurableListableBeanFactory, BeanDefinitionRegistry, Serializable {
 
+	private static Class javaxInjectProviderClass = null;
+
+	static {
+		ClassLoader cl = DefaultListableBeanFactory.class.getClassLoader();
+		try {
+			javaxInjectProviderClass = cl.loadClass("javax.inject.Provider");
+		}
+		catch (ClassNotFoundException ex) {
+			// JSR-330 API not available - Provider interface simply not supported then.
+		}
+	}
+
+
 	/** Map from serialized id to factory instance */
 	private static final Map<String, Reference<DefaultListableBeanFactory>> serializableFactories =
 			new ConcurrentHashMap<String, Reference<DefaultListableBeanFactory>>();
@@ -646,7 +659,7 @@ public class DefaultListableBeanFactory extends AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFacto
 		if (descriptor.getDependencyType().equals(ObjectFactory.class)) {
 			return new DependencyObjectFactory(descriptor, beanName);
 		}
-		else if (descriptor.getDependencyType().getName().equals("javax.inject.Provider")) {
+		else if (descriptor.getDependencyType().equals(javaxInjectProviderClass)) {
 			return new DependencyProviderFactory().createDependencyProvider(descriptor, beanName);
 		}
 		else {
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/CommonAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/CommonAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.java
index b66889df3a2..5f2bde0ab26 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/CommonAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/CommonAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.java
@@ -140,16 +140,15 @@ public class CommonAnnotationBeanPostProcessor extends InitDestroyAnnotationBean
 	private static Class<? extends Annotation> ejbRefClass = null;
 
 	static {
+		ClassLoader cl = CommonAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.class.getClassLoader();
 		try {
-			webServiceRefClass = ClassUtils.forName("javax.xml.ws.WebServiceRef",
-					CommonAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.class.getClassLoader());
+			webServiceRefClass = (Class) cl.loadClass("javax.xml.ws.WebServiceRef");
 		}
 		catch (ClassNotFoundException ex) {
 			webServiceRefClass = null;
 		}
 		try {
-			ejbRefClass = ClassUtils.forName("javax.ejb.EJB",
-					CommonAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.class.getClassLoader());
+			ejbRefClass = (Class) cl.loadClass("javax.ejb.EJB");
 		}
 		catch (ClassNotFoundException ex) {
 			ejbRefClass = null;
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/scheduling/annotation/AsyncAnnotationAdvisor.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/scheduling/annotation/AsyncAnnotationAdvisor.java
index d1d38311ab2..b1578438aa5 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/scheduling/annotation/AsyncAnnotationAdvisor.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/scheduling/annotation/AsyncAnnotationAdvisor.java
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ import org.springframework.aop.support.annotation.AnnotationMatchingPointcut;
 import org.springframework.core.task.AsyncTaskExecutor;
 import org.springframework.core.task.SimpleAsyncTaskExecutor;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
-import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
 
 /**
  * Advisor that activates asynchronous method execution through the {@link Async}
@@ -73,9 +72,9 @@ public class AsyncAnnotationAdvisor extends AbstractPointcutAdvisor {
 	public AsyncAnnotationAdvisor(Executor executor) {
 		Set<Class<? extends Annotation>> asyncAnnotationTypes = new LinkedHashSet<Class<? extends Annotation>>(2);
 		asyncAnnotationTypes.add(Async.class);
+		ClassLoader cl = AsyncAnnotationAdvisor.class.getClassLoader();
 		try {
-			asyncAnnotationTypes.add(ClassUtils.forName(
-					"javax.ejb.Asynchronous", AsyncAnnotationAdvisor.class.getClassLoader()));
+			asyncAnnotationTypes.add((Class) cl.loadClass("javax.ejb.Asynchronous"));
 		}
 		catch (ClassNotFoundException ex) {
 			// If EJB 3.1 API not present, simply ignore.
diff --git a/org.springframework.core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/CollectionFactory.java b/org.springframework.core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/CollectionFactory.java
index 98105e81b35..b598947818f 100644
--- a/org.springframework.core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/CollectionFactory.java
+++ b/org.springframework.core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/CollectionFactory.java
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ import java.util.TreeSet;
 import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
 import java.util.concurrent.CopyOnWriteArraySet;
 
-import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.LinkedCaseInsensitiveMap;
 
 /**
@@ -52,13 +51,9 @@ import org.springframework.util.LinkedCaseInsensitiveMap;
  */
 public abstract class CollectionFactory {
 
-	private static final String NAVIGABLE_SET_CLASS_NAME = "java.util.NavigableSet";
+	private static Class navigableSetClass = null;
 
-	private static final String NAVIGABLE_MAP_CLASS_NAME = "java.util.NavigableMap";
-
-	private static Class navigableSet = null;
-
-	private static Class navigableMap = null;
+	private static Class navigableMapClass = null;
 
 	private static final Set<Class> approximableCollectionTypes = new HashSet<Class>(10);
 
@@ -75,11 +70,12 @@ public abstract class CollectionFactory {
 		approximableMapTypes.add(SortedMap.class);
 
 		// New Java 6 collection interfaces
+		ClassLoader cl = CollectionFactory.class.getClassLoader();
 		try {
-			navigableSet = ClassUtils.forName(NAVIGABLE_SET_CLASS_NAME, CollectionFactory.class.getClassLoader());
-			navigableMap = ClassUtils.forName(NAVIGABLE_MAP_CLASS_NAME, CollectionFactory.class.getClassLoader());
-			approximableCollectionTypes.add(navigableSet);
-			approximableMapTypes.add(navigableMap);
+			navigableSetClass = cl.loadClass("java.util.NavigableSet");
+			navigableMapClass = cl.loadClass("java.util.NavigableMap");
+			approximableCollectionTypes.add(navigableSetClass);
+			approximableMapTypes.add(navigableMapClass);
 		}
 		catch (ClassNotFoundException ex) {
 			// not running on Java 6 or above...
@@ -240,7 +236,7 @@ public abstract class CollectionFactory {
 			if (List.class.equals(collectionType)) {
 				return new ArrayList(initialCapacity);
 			}
-			else if (SortedSet.class.equals(collectionType) || collectionType.equals(navigableSet)) {
+			else if (SortedSet.class.equals(collectionType) || collectionType.equals(navigableSetClass)) {
 				return new TreeSet();
 			}
 			else if (Set.class.equals(collectionType) || Collection.class.equals(collectionType)) {
@@ -307,7 +303,7 @@ public abstract class CollectionFactory {
 			if (Map.class.equals(mapType)) {
 				return new LinkedHashMap(initialCapacity);
 			}
-			else if (SortedMap.class.equals(mapType) || mapType.equals(navigableMap)) {
+			else if (SortedMap.class.equals(mapType) || mapType.equals(navigableMapClass)) {
 				return new TreeMap();
 			}
 			else {