Toyota Honors Top Suppliers For 2006
Eleven suppliers honored with Superior Award at annual ceremony including Delphi, Johnson Controls and Lear
March 27, 2007 – Erlanger, KY - Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TEMA) today presented awards for its top North American suppliers in 2006. The awards acknowledge those suppliers who have met Toyota's highest standards in quality, delivery, diversity, technology/development and value improvement for parts and materials.
The following suppliers were recognized with Superior Awards in the areas of Quality, Delivery and Supplier Diversity:
• Aisin World Corp. of America, Aisin Electronics, Inc., Stockton, California
(Quality)
• Akebono Brake Co., Elizabethtown, Kentucky (Quality)
• Delphi Thermal Systems, Troy, Michigan (Quality)
• Denso International America, Inc., Fuel Injector Division, Athens, Tennessee
(Quality & Delivery)
• Denso International America, Inc., Ceramic Products Division, Athens,
Tennessee (Quality & Delivery)
• Denso International America, Inc., Starters/Alternators Division, Maryville,
Tennessee (Delivery)
• Denso International America, Inc., Weastec, Inc., Hillsboro, Ohio (Quality)
• Diamond Electric Manufacturing Corp., Dundee, Michigan (Delivery)
• Johnson Controls, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Supplier Diversity)
• Johnson Matthey, West Deptford, New Jersey (Quality & Delivery)
• Lear Corporation, Southfield, Michigan (Supplier Diversity)
• Nova Chemicals, Inc., Monaca, Pennsylvania (Quality)
• Trim Masters, Inc., Harrodsburg, Kentucky (Delivery)
• U.S. Engine Valve Company, Marshal, Michigan (Quality & Delivery)
The awards were given at Toyota's Annual Business Meeting and Awards Ceremony held in Covington, Kentucky, which brings together the automaker's approximately 500 North American suppliers to share expectations for the coming business year and to recognize outstanding performance among suppliers.
"Thanks to our suppliers' focus on quality, delivery, diversity, technology and development and value improvements, they have been a key part of Toyota's success in North America," said Atsushi Kume, senior vice president of TEMA. "We thank them for their efforts in 2006 which saw the successful launch of the all-new Camry and all-new Tundra."
All awards in the Supplier Diversity category are awarded to the entire company and reflect the company's initiatives and outstanding efforts to help Toyota meet their minority procurement targets. Last November, Toyota announced that its entire U.S. operations will target ten percent of the company's overall U.S. purchases of parts, goods and services with minority businesses.
Toyota currently has six vehicle manufacturing plants and seven engine/component plants in North America. In addition, two new plants are under construction – in Woodstock, Ontario and Blue Springs, Mississippi. Also, Toyota will begin Camry production at Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA) later this spring.
Toyota (NYSE:TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and will operate 15 manufacturing plants in North America by 2010. There are more than 1,700 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sold more than 2.8 million vehicles in 2006. Toyota directly employs over 41,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18.6 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota's annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American suppliers totals more than $28.5 billion.
Toyota currently produces 11 vehicles in North America, including the Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Matrix, Sienna, Solara, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra and the Lexus RX 350. By 2010, Toyota will have the annual capacity to build approximately 2.2 million cars and trucks, 1.45 million engines and 600,000 automatic transmissions.
Current and potential suppliers can visit www.ToyotaSupplier.com for information on Toyota's purchasing policies, newsworthy articles and learn more about Toyota's purchasing principles.
