Continental awarded “Supplier of the Year 2019” Awards for outstanding performance

This year too, Continental Automotive and Powertrain Technologies presented the “Supplier of the Year” awards for particularly exemplary performance among their 900 strategic series suppliers. Since 2008, the technology company has conducted an annual broad-based analysis to identify exceptional contributions in customer satisfaction and at all levels of quality, technology, commitment, costs and purchasing conditions. The fact that Continental can build on a strong, global network every year is becoming apparent in 2019, too: The Continental business areas Vehicle Networking and Information, Autonomous Mobility & Safety as well as Vitesco Technologies were supplied with around 140,000 part numbers at around 100 production sites worldwide. This is equivalent to a total volume of approximately 157 Million components. The awards ceremony took place on 27^th October in the format of a virtual ceremony. In total, 12 suppliers were awarded with the prestigious prize.

“In the fundamentally changing world of mobility, we set the standards together with our first-class suppliers”, says Nikolai Setzer, member of the board of Continental AG and speaker on the Automotive board. “Thanks to close and trusting cooperation, cross-industry networking and our highest quality standards, together we can achieve greater efficiency and safety and thus satisfy the increasing demands of our customers even better.”

Günter Fella, head of purchasing at Continental Automotive adds, “We can count on our suppliers both for the development of future technologies and for managing logistical challenges. This became evident in the critical phase of the coronavirus pandemic at the beginning of 2020. Throughout this time, we were able to carry out production without any supply shortages. Additionally, our suppliers overcome the challenges of increasingly complex systems and thus contribute to the success of the company. For this reason, every year it is a great honor for us to recognize the best suppliers of the year”.

Prestigious prize for Peak Performance

Continental presents the Supplier of the Year Awards annually in the six areas of electronics, electromechanics, metal, plastics and rubber as well as division-specific solutions. The awarded suppliers for the year 2019 are:

• Electronics: Rohm Semiconductor (Discretes), NIPPON CHEMI-CON CORPORATION (Passives)
• Electromechanics: Wuxi Jewel Technology Co. Ltd. (Molded Inductive Components), DYNAMIC ELECTRONICS CO. LTD. (Standard Printed Circuit Boards)
• Metal: Ferriere di Stabio S.A. (Forging Assemblies), SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC. (Turned Parts)
• Plastics and rubber: AR-TEX GROUP (Rubber), samtec (Connectors)
• Division-specific solutions of Vehicle Networking and Information: Fonderie Officine Pietro Pilenga S.p.A. (Aftermarket), Cetto Group (Decorative Plastic Parts)
• Division-specific solutions of Vitesco Technologies: Foryou Industries Co., Ltd. (High Pressure Casting Aluminum), Industrias Teixidó, S.A. (Turned Parts)

In addition to the Supplier of the Year, Continental has been awarding the special prize – the “Quality Award” – since 2010 to companies for exceptional performance in the area of quality enhancement. With this, the technology company highlights their exceptionally high quality standards. The 2019 Quality Award was given to Nichia Corporation, manufacturer for LEDs, fluorescent material, Laser diodes, battery and coating materials.

Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation. In 2019, Continental generated sales of €44.5 billion and currently employs more than 240,000 people in 59 countries and markets.