GM Names 184 Suppliers 'Best of the Best' for 1998

Warren, Mich. (ots-PRNewswire) - General Motors (NYSE: GM) hasnamed 184 companies that provide everything from steel to seatsand logistics planners that ferry parts to assembly plants aswinners of the 1998 Supplier of the Year award. The suppliers are being honored by geographic region in aseries of four events beginning with Latin American suppliers inSao Paulo, Brazil. The other events are scheduled inRuesselsheim, Germany (Europe); Detroit (North America) andShanghai, China (Asia-Pacific). The winning suppliers were chosen from among more than 30,000companies that receive part of GM's $86 billion in annualspending. "GM Suppliers of the Year represent the best of the best,"said Harold Kutner, vice president and group executive, WorldwidePurchasing and North American Production Control and Logistics.This is an honor that is reserved for those suppliers who haveachieved world-class levels of quality, service, technology andprice in support of General Motors." Twenty-five of the companies on this year's list wererecognized for the sixth or seventh time. "This is especially noteworthy because there is no carryovercredit for winning this award in one year," Kutner said. "Everyyear is a fresh search to find those companies that truly standout." Companies recognized -- including 43 first-time winners --were selected by teams of purchasing, quality, engineering andmanufacturing experts from GM operations around the world. Themeasurements for the first time included technology -- using itto improve what the supplier does or provides for GM. "We expect our top suppliers to provide more value andfeatures to our customers," Kutner said. "And we expect them tolook at their current processes to see how they can be refined toreflect this emphasis on new technology development. Forsuppliers, technology is fast becoming the ticket for entry whileprice and service are becoming more and more standard." The emphasis on technology and getting it into GM cars andtrucks is leading to more supplier integration -- where GMprovides the functional requirements and the supplier with thecreative solution uses its expertise to deliver the component orsystem. GM takes that strategy a step further with co-developmentwhere a supplier's best technical people team with GM's bestminds to create game-changing technology. In co-development, many of GM's standard rules of supplierengagement are suspended in exchange for exclusive use of asupplier's breakthrough innovation or a supplier lending itsexpertise to develop a GM innovation. In both cases, the supplieris guaranteed the business that comes from the collaboration fora set period of years, after which the supplier can market thattechnology to other companies. One example of that occurred last November when GM signed a10-year multi- billion dollar agreement to buy aluminum fromAlcan Aluminium Ltd. at predictable prices. As a result of theagreement, GM and Alcan engineers will work together over thenext five years at the GM Technical Center in Warren, Mich.,exploring new and expanding uses for aluminum, includingaluminum- intensive vehicles. "One reason our Worldwide Purchasing structure works is thatwe're committed to building the best-possible businessrelationship with our suppliers," Kutner said. "We know we're notthere yet, but we have been working on it."

1998 General Motors Suppliers of the Year

(Listed by Country; Number of Awards Received Noted)

Win Argentina Famar Fueguina S.A.

3X Liggett Argentina S.

2X Australia Air International Automotive Division

1X Autoliv Australia Pty.

7X Finemore Holdings Ltd.

2X Mett Diecasting Pty. Ltd.

4X Austria Engle Vertriebsgesellschaft M.B.H.

3X KTM-Kuhler GmbH

1X Magna Europa AG

2X Zizala Lichtsysteme GmbH

2X Belgium Norsk Hydro a.s. Hydro Magnesium Div.

2X Seeber Belgium N.V.

4X Brazil Bunder Express Transportes e Logistica Ltda.

2X Companhia Brasileira de Equipamentos COBREQ

3X Companhia Ultragaz S.A.

1X Dana Albarus S.A. Industria e Comerico,

div Elastomeros

4X Freios Varga S.A. Johnson Controls

do Brasil Auto. Ltda

1X Krupp Metalurgica Campo Limpo Ltda

4X Meritor do Brasil Ltda-divisao LTV

7X Rassini-NHK Autopecas S.A.

2X Sabo Industria e Comerico Ltda.

4X Canada ABC Group

2X Bend All Mfg. Inc.

2X Cosma Body & Chassis Systems, Div. of Magna

7X Depco International, Inc.

5X Niagara Machine Products

7X Pacific Insight Electronics Corp.

4X Precision Plastics, Division of

Windsor Mold Inc.

4X Progressive Moulded Products

1X Seeburn Division Ventra Group Inc.

5X Techform Products Ltd.

1X Tenatronics Ltd.

1X The Standard Products Company

2X Thona, Inc.

3X Tiercon

1X Toral Cast, Division of Tesma International Inc. 1X Van-Rob Stampings Inc.

2X Verspeeten Cartage Ltd.

5X Westcast Industries Inc.

5X Windsor Mold Group, Automotive Components Div. 2X China Delphi Packard Electric Shanghai Ltd.

2X Colombia Goodyear de Colombia S.A.

1X England Xerox Language Services

3X Estonia AS Norma

5X France Anoflex SNC

4X Generators Valeo

7X Germany Aeroquip, Div. of Aeroquip-Vickers Int'l. GmbH 2X Ambrosius Messebau

4X Aunde Achter & Ebels GmbH

3X Baumeister & Ostler GmbH & Co.

3X Behr France

3X Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG

2X Buderus Guss GmbH

6X Contitech

1X Durr Systems GmbH

2X Edag Engineering u. Design AG

7X Elring Klinger GmbH

3X FFT GmbH + Co. KG

2X FTE Automotive GmbH

4X GEDIA Gebruder Dingerkus GmbH

4X Grob-Werke GmbH & Co. KG

5X Halberg Guss

3X HP-Chemie Pelzer

5X Intra Fleischmann & Aluminum Wacker

GmbH + Co. KG

1X Johann A. Krause Maschinefabrik GmbH

4X LUK GmbH & Co.

7X Muller Weingarten AG Germany

2X Mann & Hummel Holding GmbH

7X Mannesmann VDO AG

6X Nippon Antenna (Europe) GmbH

4X Petri AG

7X Schroder GmbH

1X Schuler Hydroforming GmbH & Co. KG

1X Siemens AG, Automotive Systems

6X TCM GmbH Tool Consulting & Management

1X UT Automotive

2X India Sundram Fasteners Ltd

3X Indonesia PT Trimitra Baterai Prakasa

2X Italy Faital S.p.A.

6X Fiamm S.p.A.

4X Mercurio Transporti Internazionali S.P.A.

3X Officina C.F. Franci SpA

1X OLSA s.r.l.

1X Japan Aikoku Alpha Corporation

1X Aisin AW Co., Ltd.

4X Bridgeston Corporation

6X Hokuto Corporation

2X Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd.

1X Nippei Toyama Corp.

2X Sumitomo Metal Ind., Ltd.

1X Korea Samlip Industrial Co.

3X Mexico Atsugi Mexicana, S.A. de C.V.

1X Etal, S.A. de C.V.

3X Krupp Hoesch SASA

3X Nemak S.A.

5X Pistones Moresa, S.A. de C.V.

2X Promotora Arneses Electricas Automotrices,

S.A. de C.V.

2X Vitro Vidrio Plano

1X Monaco Mecaplast

2X Netherlands Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd.

2X Portugal HUF Portuguesa, LDA

1X South Africa Precision Exhaust Systems (Pty) Ltd.

7X Spain Castellon, S.A.

4X Caucho Metal Productos S.L.

4X Cikautxo

1X Dr. Franz Schneider S.A.

1X Metalbages, S.A.

4X Transportes GERPOSA, S.A.

1X Sweden Sandvik do Brasil Ltda.

3X Wallenius Line A.B.

5X Turkey Cevher Dokum Sanayii A.S.

2X USA AK Steel Corp.

2X Alps Automotive, Inc. USA

5X Associated Spring, Barnes Group Inc.

1X Automatic Systems, Inc.

2X BBK, Ltd.

2X Bethlehem Steel Corp.

4X Blue Water Plastics, Inc.

2X Caliber Logistics

1X Cambridge Industries, Inc.

4X Charter Mfg. Co. Milwaukee Wire Products

2X Conix Corporation

5X Corporate Express

1X Dawson Mfg. Co.

1X Del-Met Corporation

4X Delphi-Delco Electronics Systems

4X Delphi Energy & Engine Management Systems

4X Delphi Interior Systems

6X Delphi Packard Electric Systems

7X Denso International America, Inc.

6X Donnelly Corpoaton

4X Dynamic Manufacturing, Inc.

5X Falcon Transport Co.

4X Federal Mogul Sintered Products

2X Gentex Cororation

3X GKN Sinter Metals

2X Gonzalez Design Group

6X Griswold Machine & Engineering, Inc.

2X Hawtal Whiting Engineering Ltd.

5X Hermatite

1X Hi-Lex Controls, Inc.

1X Hitachi Automotive Prod. (USA), Inc.

3X Hornish Brothers, Inc.

5X ICI Americas, Inc.

2X ITW Automotive Products

1X J. Aron & Co. Div. of Goldman Sachs & Co.

4X Jernberg Industries

4X Johnson Controls, Inc.

5X Kennametal

3X Kitty Hawk, Inc.

2X Knight Facilities Management, Inc.

5X Lapeer Metal & Stamping

1X Lear Corporation

3X Lescoa, Inc.

1X Lorro, Inc.

2X LucasVarity Automotive

6X Magee Rieter Automotive Systems

7X Magna Interior Systems - Versatrim

2X Mays Chemical Co., Inc. Michigan Spring Div.

6X Precision Products Group, Inc.

2X Micro Craft, Inc.

1X Mitsubishi Heavy Ind. Climate Control, Inc.

2X Montell Polyolefins

4X Morrison Knudsen Corp.

3X Motion Ind., Inc.

3X Motorola AIEG

1X Nelson Metal Products

3X Nippon Seiki

1X NSK Corporation

2X OEM/Erie

1X P.J. Wallbank Springs

1X Panasonic Automotive Electronics Co.

2X RDS/Rapid Design Service, Inc.

6X Regal Plastics Co.

3X Setech, Inc.

6X Smalley Steel Ring Co.

1X Terry Machine Co. Div. of SPS

2X Textron Automotive Co., Inc.

1X The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

4X U.S. Tsubaki, Inc.

6X UniBoring Co., Inc.

1X Yarema Die and Engineering

2X Venezuela C.A. Acumuladores Duncan de Venezuela

3X Statistics

Number of countries represented:

29

Number of per/year winners:

7-year winners

11

6-year winners

14

5-year winners

16

4-year winners

29

3-year winners

26

2-year winners

45

First-time-year winners

43

Total

184 otsOriginal Text Service: General Motors Corporation Internet:http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Alan Adler (USA) 810-986-6129, or Dan Jankowski (USA) 810-986-6376, both of GM Web site:http://media.gm.com

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