Supplier of the Year: GM awards 5 tyre makers

At a ceremony held in Phoenix, Arizona this month, General Motors (GM) honoured 134 suppliers based in 16 countries. The vehicle manufacturer’s 2021 Supplier of the Year awardees included five tyre makers – Bridgestone Corporation, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Hankook Tire & Technology, Maxxis Tires and Michelin North America.

The Supplier of the Year award recognises distinguished global suppliers that exceed GM’s requirements, in turn providing GM customers with innovative technologies and among the highest quality in the automotive industry. Shilpan Amin, GM vice president, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, comments that “this year’s Supplier of the Year event was special not only because it’s the 30th anniversary of the programme, but because it provided us with the opportunity to recognise our suppliers for persevering through one of the most challenging years the industry has ever faced.”

Amin adds: “These top suppliers showed resilience and reinforced their commitment to pursuing sustainability and innovation. Through our strong relationships and collaboration, GM and our suppliers are poised to build a brighter future for generations to come.”

Tyre makers honoured by GM recognition

Noting that “strong partnerships are critical to the success of our business,” David Colletti, president, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations’ consumer original equipment tyres for the North America region, shares the tyre maker is “proud to be recognised by our long-time partner GM.” Colletti adds that “this award pays tribute to our teammates for their hard work and dedication to provide the best products and solutions to our customers. We look forward to many more years of delivering innovation and cutting-edge solutions to GM.” This latest GM Supplier of the Year award is the seventh consecutive given to Bridgestone and the 20th received in the past 30 years.

Hankook Tire received its sixth consecutive award. “We truly value our partnership with GM, and we are honoured to receive this annual recognition as the best-performing supplier partner for six years in a row,” says Jeongho Park, executive vice-president and director of Hankook Tire’s OE Division. “We believe it’s a testament to our capability to develop top-quality tires that further boost vehicle performance as well as to our commitment to providing our customers with industry-leading solutions.”

This year was also the sixth time that GM has given Maxxis Tires a Supplier of the Year award. “We are incredibly honoured to receive this award,” states Andy Lee, Maxxis Tire’s USA vice-president of operations. “This recognition is especially meaningful in light of the challenges that Maxxis, GM, and indeed, every company in the auto industry has faced over the past two years. We appreciate GM’s help in weathering these difficulties, and as always, we are dedicated to supplying them with the finest tire products and to meeting and exceeding their expectations. Everyone at Maxxis is grateful for our relationship with GM, and we look forward to working with them as conditions for our industry improve.”

Reorganised GM with 6 brands

General Motors, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under four major US brands, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac, as well as two in the Chinese market, Baojun and Wuling. The world’s largest car maker between 1931 and 2008, GM filed for Chapter 11 reorganisation in 2009 and over the following years slimmed down through the sale of Vauxhall and Opel and the phaseout of the Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Pontiac, Saab and Saturn brands.

The 30th GM Supplier of the Year awards recognised 134 firms, including 5 tyre makers (Image: Bridgestone Americas)