Excellence Award Acknowledges Bridgestone Firestone OTR in US

The quality of Bridgestone Firestone OTR tyres produced in the US, and the company’s delivery of such products, has been acknowledged by construction and mining equipment manufacturer Caterpillar. The company has awarded the Bridgestone Firestone Off Road Tire Company (BFOR), a division of Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, (BFNT), one of its annual supplier quality excellence awards – a distinction given to those suppliers deemed to meet the highest standards of quality for Caterpillar components.

The particular award given to BFOR was the 2007 “Supplier Quality Excellence” award. Shawn Rasey, vice president, BFOR, and Greg Halford, manager of the company’s Bloomington facility, accepted the award on behalf of BFOR during a recognition ceremony held on April 15, in Bloomington, Illinois.

“To be singled out as one of Caterpillar’s top quality suppliers is truly an honour,” said Rasey. “Our team at BFOR takes a lot of pride in building world-class quality products and treating our customers like partners, so it’s very gratifying to receive this type of recognition from a key customer.”

“This award is a testament to the hard-working people who work at the Bridgestone Firestone tyre plant here in Bloomington,” added Halford. “Our team strives to produce quality tyres day in and day out. We are extremely proud to be recognised by the people with whom we do business on a daily basis.”

The Caterpillar ”Supplier Quality Excellence” award began in 2007, and successful suppliers are selected by a global team made up of experts from purchasing, engineering, manufacturing and logistics who base their decisions on a supplier’s performance in key areas such as quality, service, delivery performance, and 6 Sigma Deployment.

“We’re proud to honour Bridgestone Firestone as the first North American tyre company to receive the ‘Supplier Quality Excellence’ award from Caterpillar,” said Jack Koch, strategic sourcing manager, Caterpillar Global Purchasing. “At Caterpillar, our quality standards are uncompromising, and we expect the same from our business partners.”