Continental Automotive Group has rewarded the outstanding performance of twelve of its suppliers with an Automotive Supplier of the Year 2009 award. The Automotive Group encompasses the Chassis & Safety, Powertrain and Interior divisions. As part of Supplier Day 2010, held at the company's headquarters in Hannover and attended by about 100 suppliers from around the world, Continental Chief Executive Officer Dr. Elmar Degenhart presented awards to the successful companies in six material categories. "Continental aspires to be one of the market-leading automotive suppliers in the world, and this is inconceivable without our long-standing suppliers, whose expertise and experience bolster our development, production and logistics capabilities", said Dr. Degenhart.
Twelve awards for suppliers
Data from more than 1,000 suppliers was analyzed to determine the ecipients of the Automotive Supplier of the Year 2009 award. There were prizes in six material categories.
In the electronics category, awards went to Infineon Technologies (discretes), Melexis (custom ICs), and the KOA Corporation (passive components). The best suppliers in the electro-mechanics category were IRISO Electronics (connectors), AVX Corporation (plastic mechatronics) and Freudenberg Mektec Europa (special PCBs). Winners in the mechanics category were Oskar Rüegg (stamping), EJOT (fasteners) and Knipper Kunststofftechnik (plastic reservoir systems). Supplier Alois Berger received an award for precision turned parts (turned and machined complex parts), and the award in the production equipment category went to USK Karl Utz Sondermaschinen. BÖ-LA Siebdrucktechnik (dials) also received an award.
High growth rates for purchasing volume
Günter Fella, head of purchasing at Continental Automotive, reported that this year the Group had purchased raw materials, components and development support from over 4,000 suppliers around the world worth about €7.5 billion in total. A quarter of the purchasing volume relates to electronics, a proportion that will continue to rise strongly over the coming years. "The challenge for our suppliers is to provide raw materials, parts and systems of the highest possible quality, to optimize development and production processes, to deliver reliably and on a long-term basis - all this at internationally competitive prices", said Fella.
Dr. Degenhart pointed out that car manufacturers are increasingly expecting their suppliers to develop and produce complete systems. "These systems may contain products from all divisions of the Automotive Group and are also being networked with other vehicle and infrastructure systems." One example of this is the ContiGuard® safety concept. "For that type of system solution we need to be able to rely on strong and dependable suppliers", explained Degenhart. The CEO emphasized the high standard of quality that Continental sets for its products, and appealed to the suppliers to do their best to support the company in achieving these quality aims: on the one hand by playing an active role in Continental's development projects, on the other by striving to ensure reliable product quality and delivery quantity within their own firms.
Another central strategic objective is the cooperation with Schaeffler. "Both companies are planning to combine their activities in the medium term, thus creating an automotive supplier with unique systems expertise in the area of mechatronics and with a reputation for innovative strength and high-quality products." As examples of successful collaborative ventures that have already been implemented, Degenhart cited the purchasing cooperation between Schaeffler and Continental, the turbocharger, the double-clutch transmission, the electric parking brake and sales and logistics in the automotive aftermarket.
Twelve awards for suppliers
Data from more than 1,000 suppliers was analyzed to determine the ecipients of the Automotive Supplier of the Year 2009 award. There were prizes in six material categories.
In the electronics category, awards went to Infineon Technologies (discretes), Melexis (custom ICs), and the KOA Corporation (passive components). The best suppliers in the electro-mechanics category were IRISO Electronics (connectors), AVX Corporation (plastic mechatronics) and Freudenberg Mektec Europa (special PCBs). Winners in the mechanics category were Oskar Rüegg (stamping), EJOT (fasteners) and Knipper Kunststofftechnik (plastic reservoir systems). Supplier Alois Berger received an award for precision turned parts (turned and machined complex parts), and the award in the production equipment category went to USK Karl Utz Sondermaschinen. BÖ-LA Siebdrucktechnik (dials) also received an award.
High growth rates for purchasing volume
Günter Fella, head of purchasing at Continental Automotive, reported that this year the Group had purchased raw materials, components and development support from over 4,000 suppliers around the world worth about €7.5 billion in total. A quarter of the purchasing volume relates to electronics, a proportion that will continue to rise strongly over the coming years. "The challenge for our suppliers is to provide raw materials, parts and systems of the highest possible quality, to optimize development and production processes, to deliver reliably and on a long-term basis - all this at internationally competitive prices", said Fella.
Dr. Degenhart pointed out that car manufacturers are increasingly expecting their suppliers to develop and produce complete systems. "These systems may contain products from all divisions of the Automotive Group and are also being networked with other vehicle and infrastructure systems." One example of this is the ContiGuard® safety concept. "For that type of system solution we need to be able to rely on strong and dependable suppliers", explained Degenhart. The CEO emphasized the high standard of quality that Continental sets for its products, and appealed to the suppliers to do their best to support the company in achieving these quality aims: on the one hand by playing an active role in Continental's development projects, on the other by striving to ensure reliable product quality and delivery quantity within their own firms.
Another central strategic objective is the cooperation with Schaeffler. "Both companies are planning to combine their activities in the medium term, thus creating an automotive supplier with unique systems expertise in the area of mechatronics and with a reputation for innovative strength and high-quality products." As examples of successful collaborative ventures that have already been implemented, Degenhart cited the purchasing cooperation between Schaeffler and Continental, the turbocharger, the double-clutch transmission, the electric parking brake and sales and logistics in the automotive aftermarket.
