An eventful day for the North American purchasing team

Strategies such as the impact of geopolitical and market trends on respective procurement categories, risk mitigation plans, the CO₂ reduction roadmap and sustainability initiatives - were some of the key topics covered at the procurement meeting.

Beyond the technical discussions, the event also included time for team-building activities, including a trip to the bowling alley.

That evening, the Supplier of the Year award was hosted by the North American Procurement Team in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.

Jim Montagano (EVP Operations) opened the ceremony with encouraging sentiments, commenting that “we cannot forget that during the difficult years of COVID-19, we all went through tough times (both personally and in business). Your (suppliers’) support during those tough times was very appreciated, as reflected by the zero shutdowns caused by our supply base during those two years.”

Sumit Dutta (VP Procurement North America) explained the selection criteria of the suppliers of the year: collaboration with stakeholders, service, competitiveness, quality, delivery, and launch support.  If a supplier stands out in all of them, they have taken their level from ‘customer satisfaction’ to ‘customer delight’. He clarified that price is not the most important criteria, but it is how the supplier collaborates with various functions during a product’s life cycle. For example: helping win new business, new product development, 24/7 operational support, helping launch new projects on time, and their contribution in meeting the price, quality and delivery objectives. Sumit Dutta explained how each of the suppliers faired in each of above categories, resulting in them being chosen as Suppliers of the Year. 

The 2023 Supplier of the Year recipients for each category were:
 

1. Raw Material, Riverview Steel
2. Bought In Parts, Canada Tubeform,
3. Sub Contracting, Powder Cote II,
4. Logistics Buddy’s Upstate Logistics LLC,
5. Capital & Tooling, Tri-Tech Fixtures LTD,
6. Mexico Excellence Award, Mosmex
7. Prototype Services, APhase LL Inc.  

Darik Chapman, (Senior Buyer, Raw Material) commented after the event and meetings: “I had such a positive energy on the way home and felt proud to be part of a great team of purchasing professionals. We all have so much potential to do so much for KIRCHHOFF Automotive. I look forward to what is to come and meeting again!”

“The supplier awards event was a showcase of our best suppliers across many different categories.  I was pleased to meet and speak with many of them at this event. These were the best of the best and it showed. It was a great event and Sumit and the procurement team did a wonderful job putting it all together.  I really enjoyed the evening,” said Mark Fabischek (EVP Global Product Development).