BRUSSELS, Belgium (Sept. 12, 2008) — Ford Motor Co. has awarded its Q1 Preferred Quality Status certification to Bridgestone Corp. tire plants in Poznan, Poland, and Bethune, France.
Ford noted the plants' “sustained level of excellence” in customer satisfaction.
Bridgestone's Poznan plant, which opened in 2000, has supplied Ford during that time with more than 3 million original equipment tires.
Ford's European Quality and Procurement Division awards Q1 certification only to suppliers that achieve a sustained level of excellence in customer satisfaction over a period of time, while meeting agreed requirements in quality, productivity and service.
Ford presented Bridgestone Poznan President Masayuki Sorioka the award on Aug. 27 in a ceremony at the plant.
The Bethune plant, which ships about 500,000 tires annually to Ford, was honored in March. That plant has been honored multiple times, including the first Q1 award Ford ever gave out in Europe in 1989, Bridgestone said.