DETROIT—Hwaseung Rubber & Automotive Co. Ltd. was named Supplier of the Year during the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US L.L.C. annual awards ceremony, held late last month at MotorCity Hotel.
The awards, in their fifth year, recognize suppliers that have shown extraordinary commitment in key areas such as quality, innovation, continuous improvement and FCA's foundational principles.
Other award winners include U.S. Farathane Corp., Foundational Principles Award (direct); Chemical Quality Supplier of the Year, Bridgestone Corp.; and Sustainability Supplier of the Year, Continental Automotive Guadalajara Mexico S.A. de C.V.
Purchasing leaders Tom Finelli, head of North America group purchasing for FCA US, and Scott Garberding, head of group purchasing, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V., FCA, were among those to address the crowd of more than 1,000, discussing the event's theme, Quality Makers: Design a Better Way.
According to FCA, the Qualitas Awards recognize both production and nonproduction suppliers that not only demonstrate operational excellence, but that also demonstrate strong corporate values with leadership in areas such as diversity, innovation and sustainability.
Other award winners include—Foundational Principles Award (indirect), Hanwha; Metallic Quality Supplier of the Year, Prime Wheel Corp.; Electrical Quality Supplier of the Year, Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America; Powertrain Quality Supplier of the Year, F.C.C.; MOPAR Quality Supplier of the Year, NSI; Capital Equipment Quality Supplier of the Year , GROB; Services Quality Supplier of the Year, RR Donnelley; Diversity Supplier Development Supplier of the Year, Barton Malow Co. and Johnson Controls Inc.; Tooling Supplier of the Year, HS Die & Engineering, Inc.; Supply Chain Management Supplier of the Year, Vari-Form; Logistics Supplier of the Year, Hansen & Adkins Auto Transport; Technical Cost Reduction Supplier of the Year, Johnson Controls, Inc.; and Innovation Supplier of the Year, Alpine Electronics Inc.
FCA said award recipients were determined based on each company's external balanced scorecard performance in 2014, a rating system that evaluates supplier performance in areas such as quality, delivery, cost, warranty and partnership—and input from FCA senior leadership.
Suppliers could nominate themselves for the Innovation, Sustainability and Diversity Supplier Development award categories. Winners received a trophy, custom designed by FCA vehicle designers.
FCA US, formerly known as Chrysler Group L.L.C., is a North American auto maker, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., and is a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. family of companies. It manufactures vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Fiat brands as well as the SRT performance vehicle designation.