OREANDA-NEWS. April 06, 2016. Ford recently recognized 11 suppliers supporting Ford Motor Company Thailand (FTM) and Auto Alliance Thailand with Q1 distinction for their manufacturing excellence. This brings the percentage of Q1 suppliers in Thailand to 73 percent (129 of 177 suppliers); making it the leader of the major manufacturing markets in Asia Pacific, and in the top three in the region as a whole.

Attending the event were top leaders of the Ford Purchasing team in the Asia-Pacific region, including Joe Smyth, vice president; Paul Randle, director, STA; Dennis Rozario, director, Commodity Purchasing; and Allan Guimaraes, director, Purchasing Strategy. Also in attendance were Andrea Cavallaro, plant manager, FTM and Trevor Negus, president and CEO, Auto Alliance Thailand

Q1 is a set of fundamental quality and manufacturing disciplines which, when followed, ensure the success and continuous improvement of the supplier. Q1 applies vital metrics to determine which suppliers qualify for Q1, and which are able to keep their status.

Paul Randle’s reiterated that the Q1 distinction is the base for developing capable supplier manufacturing sites, and supports forward model launches and continuous quality improvement. Randle issued a challenge to the new Q1 Suppliers, not only to maintain their Q1 status, but also to aim for World Excellence Awards qualification as Silver and Gold awardees.

Joe Smyth delivered the message that Ford will continue to improve its relationships with suppliers by building trust. Three pillars will support this trust: Business Growth, Fair and Honorable Conduct and Consistency and Predictability.