• In the 'Year of Honda,' Suppliers are asked to focus on creating new value for Customers
• Both OEM and Service Parts Suppliers Receive Awards for Performance 

Honda honored more than 64 North American auto suppliers for their achievements in supplying parts for Honda and Acura vehicles at the 31st annual Honda Supplier Conference, held April 23, in Columbus, Ohio, as the company recommits itself and its supplier partners to achieving new levels of quality and value for its customers.

"The concept of value is determined by the customer, and that value is based on our ability – Honda and our suppliers together – to deliver in terms of quality, cost and delivery," said Tom Lake, vice president for North American Purchasing at Honda North America, Inc. (HNA). "Only by making long-lasting, durable products can we create long-lasting, durable relationships with our customers."

The annual supplier awards recognition event was attended by representatives of Honda's 682 North American suppliers, that combined in 2014 to provide a record $26.3 billion worth of parts for the more than 1.8 million Honda and Acura passenger vehicles Honda produced last year in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Lake noted that 2015 is being celebrated as "The Year of Honda" with a number of pinnacle new product introductions taking place this year, including the Acura NSX supercar; the HondaJet aircraft; and Honda's return to Formula One auto racing – as well as major new models such as the all-new 2016 Honda HR-V crossover, a new 2016 Honda Pilot and 2016 Honda Civic.

Jon Minto, senior vice president of Engineering Planning at HNA, called on suppliers to continue adding flexibility and agility into their manufacturing operations in order to keep up with the increasing complexities involved in meeting expanding customer tastes and regulatory requirements.

"Being an agile manufacturer enhances the value of your production characteristics, elevates your competitive advantage and supports our customers," said Minto.

Mat Hargett, vice president of Acura Development at Honda R&D Americas, Inc., and Mark Willoughby, division manager, North American Procurement, called on suppliers to help Honda create new value for its customers by fulfilling Honda's fundamental reputation for quality.

"Honda R&D Americas is taking on even greater responsibilities within our global R&D operations, leading development of some critical new global models, like the upcoming 2016 Civic," Hargett said. "We are challenged with developing new technologies that give joy to our customers while addressing societal concerns such as safety and the environment -- all while taking our quality to new levels."

Willoughby addressed activity by Honda and its suppliers to improve quality. "We know from experience that outstanding quality performance is an essential part of competitiveness as well as supplier success," he said.

2015 OEM Supplier Awards

Among the award recipients this year, five companies were triple award recipients gaining recognition in all three categories of quality, delivery and value. These suppliers are: DTR Industries Inc., Bluffton, Ohio; Listowel Technologies, Listowel, Ontario; TS Tech Alabama, LLC, Boaz, Alabama; TS Tech Indiana, LLC, New Castle, Indiana; and U.S. Tsubaki Automotive, LLC, Portland, Tennessee.

Honda recognized 17 OEM parts suppliers for performance excellence in two categories. Honda also honored 12 suppliers that helped overcome extraordinary operational challenges to support Honda production. In addition, Honda presented its Corporate Citizenship Recognition to BASF of Southfield, Michigan, the first formulated products supplier to receive this recognition, and Delphi of Matamoros, Mexico, the first supplier in Mexico to receive this award.

Honda's 682 Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) provide parts to 16 Honda manufacturing plants in North America that produce Honda and Acura automobiles, light trucks, all-terrain vehicles and other utility products.

2015 Honda Service Parts Suppliers Awards In addition to the OEM supplier awards, Honda honored 53 suppliers for outstanding performance in supplying Service Parts that serve the needs of customers after they have purchased Honda and Acura vehicles.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., provides service and accessory parts for the nearly 20 million Honda and Acura automobiles in operation in the United States.

Honda purchased more than $1 billion in parts from its Service Parts suppliers in North America last year.

Honda Service Parts suppliers also were rated on their performance in quality, cost and delivery. Distinct from the OEM supplier awards, their overall scores were based on the combined performance in all three categories.

American Honda manages a national network of warehousing and distribution facilities that deliver high-quality, high-value service parts to 1,300 Honda and Acura dealers nationwide, who consistently rank the company as managing the best parts operations in the automobile industry.

About Honda Honda established operations in America in 1959 and now employs more than 39,000 associates in its North American sales, R&D and manufacturing operations with total capital investment in North America exceeding $22 billion. Based on its longstanding commitment to "build products close to the customer," Honda operates 16 major manufacturing facilities in North America producing a wide range of Honda and Acura automobiles, automobile engines and transmissions, Honda all-terrain vehicles, power equipment products, such as lawn mowers, mini-tillers and general purpose engines, and the HondaJet advanced light jet.

Eight Honda auto plants in the region, including four in the U.S., have the capacity to produce 1.92 million automobiles each year. In 2014, more than 97 percent of the Honda and Acura automobiles sold in the U.S. were produced in North America. Those plants today manufacture 12 different models, including five passenger cars and seven light trucks using domestic and globally sourced parts. A fifth U.S. auto plant, the Performance Manufacturing Center, is under construction in Marysville, Ohio, and will be the exclusive global production location for the next generation Acura NSX supercar. Honda also operates 14 major research and development centers in the U.S. with the capacity to fully design, develop and engineer many of the products Honda produces in North America.

Honda's Top 2015 OEM Suppliers

Honda's 682 Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) suppliers provide parts to 15 Honda plants in North America. For 2015, the company honored 64 top OEM suppliers for their excellence in one or more of three categories -- Quality, Delivery and Value

Triple Award:  Excellence in Delivery, Quality and Value

Double Award:  Excellence in Delivery and Quality

Double Award:  Excellence in Quality and Value

Excellence in Quality

Excellence in Delivery

Excellence in Value

Challenging Spirit

This Honda award recognizes the initiatives of suppliers to overcome extraordinary operational challenges

Corporate Citizenship Recognition

With this award, Honda recognizes suppliers that demonstrate an exceptional commitment to social responsibility, based on leadership in the areas of health and safety, diversity, community involvement, ethics and compliance, and the environment.

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