Bridgestone Group Recognized by General Motors for Decade of ExcellenceCompany earns 10th consecutive Supplier of the Year award for Bridgestone and Firestone brand tires and services delivered in 2004
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 28, 2005) – For a full decade, Bridgestone Corporation and its global family of companies, which includes Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. (BSAH) and its subsidiary, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT), have been honored as a General Motors (GM) Supplier of the Year for the group’s overall performance in providing GM with tires and service. The most recent award was presented during a ceremony held on Saturday, April 23 at the GM Vehicle Engineering Center in Warren, Mich.
“Our Supplier of the Year winners are the Best of the Best, and Bridgestone is part of this elite group based on their outstanding performance in 2004,” said Bo Andersson, vice president, GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. “Its balanced focus on performance and behavior support GM’s priorities, and make it a role model for suppliers worldwide.”
“The dedication and the commitment of our teammates around the world are the reason why we have received this coveted award for 10 straight years and for 12 of the 13 years it has been presented,” said Mark Emkes, chairman and CEO, BSAH. “This recognition is tremendously motivating as we focus on continuing to provide our valued customers, like GM, with tires and service that will make them and our entire Bridgestone family of companies proud.”
The Bridgestone Group supplies Bridgestone- and Firestone-brand tires to GM plants worldwide. In the Americas, Bridgestone and Firestone products are represented on every GM badge sold in North America: Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Saturn, Hummer and Saab. In addition, some exciting new GM vehicles in North America, including the Cadillac DTS, Buick Lucerne, Hummer H3 and Pontiac Grand Prix GXP, are also fitted with Bridgestone and Firestone tires.
In addition to the 10 consecutive GM Supplier of the Year awards for the Bridgestone Group, Bridgestone Firestone de Mexico, S.A. de C.V., the group’s Mexican member, earned two Supplier of the Year awards from GM in 1992 and 1993. This year’s recognition is the 12th overall award for Bridgestone Group companies.
The GM Supplier of the Year award began as a global program in 1992. Selecting the award winners is a global team of executives from purchasing, engineering, manufacturing and logistics. The team evaluates award candidates on the basis of performance in quality, service, technology and price. This year it selected only 78 winners, including the Bridgestone Group, from among some 3,500 GM suppliers worldwide.
Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world's largest manufacturer of tires and other rubber products. Tires account for 80 percent of Bridgestone Group sales worldwide. The company also manufactures industrial rubber and chemical products, sporting goods, and other diversified products. It sells its tires and other products in more than 150 nations.
Nashville-based Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. (BSAH) is the U.S. subsidiary of the Bridgestone Corporation, the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BSAH and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market a wide range of Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton and associate and private brand tires to address the needs of a broad range of customers, including consumers, automotive and commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers and those in the agricultural, forestry and mining industries. The companies also produce air springs, roofing materials, synthetic rubber and industrial fibers and textiles and operate the world’s largest chain of automotive tire and service centers.