Faurecia honored with two supplier diversity awards by Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council

AUBURN HILLS, MI--Nov. 7, 2013: Faurecia, North America's fifth-largest automotive supplier, was honored with two awards at the annual recognition program held by Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC). The company earned Corporation of the Year in the Manufacturing – Level II division, while Harold Cook, senior global commodity buyer at Faurecia, was named as Corporate Buyer of the Year in the Local category. The awards were presented at the 30th annual MMSDC awards program, held Oct. 1 at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. The event was attended by more than 1,000 business leaders from industries such as automotive, healthcare, construction, education, information technology, and consumer products.

Faurecia's supplier diversity efforts were recognized by the MMSDC as the company earned Corporation of the Year in the Manufacturing – Level II division, in part for its joint venture with Rush Group, Detroit Manufacturing Systems. First announced in 2012, the joint venture has created hundreds of jobs in Detroit and was a factor considered by the MMSDC for the achievement. Also, Faurecia's spending with diverse suppliers grew significantly between 2011 and 2012.

"Faurecia's winning of the prestigious Michigan Minority Supplier Diversity Council Corporation of The Year Award is a true message to our customers, and communities that Faurecia understands the value diversity plays in our continued growth," said Charles Perkins, ‎director, diversity management at Faurecia. "We are proud of our record of promoting diversity as a tool for achieving best-in-class quality, cost and delivery. This award is confirmation of the value we place on a diverse, extended enterprise that reflects our employee and customer base."

Harold Cook, Faurecia senior global commodity buyer, was named Corporate Buyer of the Year in the Local category. Cook, a former university instructor of Business Management, has more than 30 years of experience in the industrial and manufacturing industries with companies such as Petromin and Ashland Oil, including nearly 15 years in the automotive industry with Faurecia and another Tier 1 supplier. He joined the Faurecia non-production purchasing team in 2005. He has been developing diverse suppliers and adding them to Faurecia North America's MRO supply chain for the last seven years.

The Faurecia North America diversity program recognizes and promotes suppliers in the categories of minority, disadvantaged, women-owned, HubZone, veteran-owned and service disabled veteran-owned small businesses, among others. Faurecia North America is an active participant in multiple councils and chambers of commerce that focus on minority business ownership, ranging from organizations for Asian-Pacific, Native American and Canadian Aboriginal businesses, to minority supplier development councils located in states where Faurecia has a geographic presence and the Women's Business Enterprise National Council.