24 Auto Suppliers Vying for Top Honors in Sixth Annual Autom News PACE Awards Competition, Sponsored By Ernst & Young LLP
29 February 2000
'Academy Awards' for Auto Suppliers: 24 Auto Suppliers Vying for Top Honors Next Week in Sixth Annual Automotive News PACE Awards Competition, Sponsored By Ernst & Young LLP
DETROIT, Feb. 28 -- Twenty-four automotive suppliers
representing North American and European companies will be vying for top
honors at the Sixth Annual PACE Awards competition being held Monday (March 6)
at the historic Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.
Sponsored by Automotive News and Ernst & Young LLP, the annual competition
is designed to recognize industry- and company-changing innovation and to
identify the dynamics within the winning firms that lead to continuous
improvements in product quality, manufacturing, human resource management and
technology. This year, the competition was opened to European suppliers.
The 24 finalists underwent a rigorous three-month long evaluation process
by an independent panel of judges representing academia, business and finance.
The judges personally visited each of the companies' headquarters or
manufacturing facilities, met with the team responsible for submitting the
application, reviewed manufacturing or other processes involved, collectively
reviewed the application materials, and then voted on the winners.
More than simply an industry award, the PACE finalist companies are
studied each year by Ernst & Young analysts to find out why they won and how
their management team fosters innovation. The results of these annual studies
are then published and distributed free of charge by Ernst & Young to help
companies re-invent themselves and spur their own continuous improvement
process. In addition, PACE finalists receive a confidential report comparing
their company to other industry suppliers.
"We are continually surprised by the quality of the entries, the degree of
innovation, and how companies foster innovation within their organizations,"
said Lee Sage, global automotive industry leader at Ernst & Young.
"Innovation is the essential ingredient to business improvement and
competitiveness, and the PACE Awards program has made an important
contribution to recognizing this competitive key."
The PACE 2000 finalist group includes the following companies in both
North America and Europe.
The 19 North American finalists and their entries:
* American Axle and Manufacturing, Inc., Rochester Hills, Mich. - AAM
Steering Linkage for GM's GMT-800 Series Truck
* AMETEK/Dixson division of AMETEK, Inc., Grand Junction, Colo. -
Interlink Multiplexed Vehicular Gauge System
* Autoliv, Inc., Ogedon, Utah - ASH-2 Nitrous Side Inflator
* Dana Canada, Parish Structural Products Automotive Systems Group, St.
Mary's, Ont. - Load-bearing Structural Components Process
* Delphi Delco Electronics Systems, Kokomo, Ind. - Forewarn(R) Adaptive
Cruise Control System
* Donnelly Corp., Holly, Mich. - SmartRelease(TM) Trunk Entrapment
Prevention System
* FANUC Robotics North America, Inc., Rochester Hills, Mich. - F-100
Flexible Positioner
* Gentex Corp., Zeeland, Mich. - Binary Complimentary Synthetic White
LED Illuminators: The New White Light
* Gleason Corp., Rochester, N.Y. -POWERDRYCUT(TM) Process
* Gleason Corp., Rochester, N.Y. - UMCULTIMA(TM) Gear Noise and Gear
Strength Optimization
* Guide Corp., Anderson, Ind. - Second Surface Valve Gate Technology
* LumiLeds Lighting, U.S., LLC, San Jose, Calif. - SnapLED(TM) Assembly
* McCord Winn, Textron Automotive, Manchester, N.H. - RITec(TM) Fan
Shroud Reservoir
* McLaren Automotive Group, Livonia, Mich., - ASHA Body Concept: ABC Car
* PPG Industries, Inc., Pittsburgh, Penn. - Power-Prime(R) Two-coat
Electrodeposition Primer System
* US Farathane Corp., Sterling Heights, Mich. - HVAC Evaporator Core
Seals
* Valeo SA, Auburn Hills, Mich. - Park Assist System
* Visteon Automotive Systems, Dearborn, Mich. - Visteon Voice
Technology(TM)
* Visteon Automotive Systems, Dearborn, Mich. - Superintegration(TM)
Methodology for Designing Integrated Components
The 5 European Finalists for the PACE(TM) 2000 Awards:
* Delphi Chassis Systems division of Delphi Automotive, Paris, France -
Dynamic Body Control
* Meritor Automotive Inc., Frankfurt, Germany - Meritor Roof Module
* PPG Industries, Inc., Dingolfing, Germany - Enviracryl Powder Clear
Coat
* Rieter Automotive Systems, Winterthur, Switzerland - RIETER ULTRA LIGHT
Vehicle 'Noise Management' System
* Siemens Automotive Corp., Regensburg, Germany - KeylessGo(TM)
The 8 Honorable Mentions for the PACE(TM) 2000 Awards:
* Analog Devices, Micromachined Products Division, Cambridge, Mass. -
ADXL276
* Benteler Automotive Corp., Grand Rapids, Mich. - Integrated Air
Injection Reactor Flange System
* Decoma division of Magna International, Concorde, Ont. - Decorative
Molding for a Vehicle Door Frame
* Delphi Chassis Systems division of Delphi Automotive, Dayton, Ohio -
Controlled Monotube Dampers
* Dura Convertible Systems, Inc., Adrian, Mich. - Convertible Roof
Actuation System
* Oakwood Energy Management, Inc., Dearborn, Mich. - SafetySteel(TM)
* Visteon Lighting and GE Plastic, Redford, Mich. - The Polyetherimide
(PEI) Thermoplastics Forward Lighting Complex Reflector
* The Woodbridge Group, Mississauga, Ont. - Exotherm Management
Technology for Slabstock Polyurethane Foams
About the sponsors:
Ernst & Young ( http://www.ey.com ) is one of the world's leading providers of
dot-company services in assurance, consulting, corporate finance and tax.
More than 85,000 people around the world act as creative catalysts, joining
forces with clients to do all it takes -- From Thought To Finish(TM) -- to
achieve positive, significant change. E&Y pioneered the development of
advanced solutions that connect clients, partners and employees with E&Y
resources and knowledge to help them rapidly reach their goals. Ernst & Young
refers to the U.S. firm of Ernst & Young LLP and other members of the global
Ernst & Young organization.
Founded in 1925, Automotive News is published every Monday in Detroit by
Crain Communications Inc., a privately held company that publishes over 30
consumer, business and trade publications. This newsweekly provides in-depth
coverage of the auto industry and is written for original equipment
manufacturers, their franchised dealers and suppliers. Readers are primarily
decision-makers from all segments of the automotive industry, as well as
others allied with it. It is the only 100% paid industry publication.
WWJ Newsradio 950 is the exclusive broadcast sponsor of PACE(TM) 2000.
The City of Sunderland, UK is that country's fastest growing automotive
center.