General Electric : GE Appliances Recognizes its Top Suppliers During the 2016 Presidents’ Council Summit

LOUISVILLE, KY.-May 3 2016-GE Appliances held its 2016 Presidents' Council Summit April 26 at Appliance Park in Louisville, Ky., where more than 80 of its top suppliers totaling over 160 attendees joined the GE Appliances leadership team with a theme of Align, Inspire and Deliver.

'Our suppliers are a very important part of GE Appliances being successful in the ultra-competitive appliance industry. Engaging their key leaders at our annual Presidents' Council is important to ensure alignment and inspire innovation,' said Melanie Cook, GM, sourcing, at GE Appliances. 'We congratulate all of our award winners and look forward to continued collaboration and success!'

The day began with a 2015 recap and GE's 2016 Hoshin objectives by GE Appliances CEO Chip Blankenship. This was followed by Jim Morgan, senior advisor for Lean Product and Process Development (LPPD) at The Lean Enterprise Institute, where Morgan shared his expertise on the Lean journey and key considerations for success in Lean product and process development. The remainder of the day covered topics from GE Appliances leaders in the areas of customer insights, design, innovation, quality, manufacturing and service.

'We look at these strategic suppliers as our partners, which is essential for GE Appliances to design, manufacture and deliver the best products for consumers. We count on them to support innovation and bring new technology to our product platforms, while helping to improve quality and reduce costs,' said Chip Blankenship, CEO of GE Appliances. 'The US appliance market is hypercompetitive and consumers have countless choices. Developing the best cadre of suppliers aligns with our overall business strategy to be consumers' first choice.'

To conclude the day, awards were given across 10 categories with over 50 suppliers recognized for their contributions. The Distinguished Supplier Award recognized those suppliers who have performed with excellence across all key categories, including: Jiangsu Sanyou Dior Energy-Saving New Materials Co., Spindex Precision Engineering Co., Plastic Products Co., Embraco North America, Nidec Corporation and United States Steel Corporation.

'The Presidents' Council Summit allows GE Appliances and its key suppliers to share consumer expectations on style, value and quality,' said Brett BeGole, GM, product management at GE Appliances. 'We consistently increase brand loyalty by drawing on our suppliers' expertise to innovate and deliver high quality products with competitive design cycle times. This year's meeting continued our alignment to ensure we win in this dynamic marketplace.'

Complete List of Award Winners:

2015 Winners were chosen in the following award categories:

Distinguished Supplier
The Distinguished Supplier Award recognizes those suppliers who distinguished themselves by going above and beyond in several key areas of innovation, productivity, quality and supply chain performance.

• Winners: Jiangsu Sanyou Dior Energy-Saving New Materials Co., Spindex Precision Engineering Co., Plastic Products Co., Embraco North America, Nidec Corporation, United States Steel Corporation.

Breakthrough Innovation
The Breakthrough Innovation Award recognizes those suppliers who collaborated with GE Appliances to create solutions and innovations that improved product features, productivity, quality or customer service.

• Winners: PolyOne Corporation, WestRock Co., Eurokera North America, Nidec Servo, SSW Holding Company, GLV International.

Excellence in Quality
The Excellence in Quality Award recognizes those suppliers who exceed the company's expectations and distinguish themselves from their peers by demonstrating excellence in quality. These recipients achieved the highest level of global excellence in the category of overall quality.

• Winners: Sun Strong Precision Metal International, Faber North America, Panasonic Electronics, Spindex Precision Engineering, Nidec Servo, Plastic Products Co.

Supply Chain Excellence
The Supply Chain Excellence Award recognizes those suppliers who demonstrated expertise and flexibility in consistently managing a complex supply chain with excellence.

• Winners: Washington Penn Plastic Co., Samsung SDI, Outokumpu Stainless USA, Gexpro, Millennia Stainless.

NPI Execution
The NPI Execution Award recognizes those suppliers who collaborated with GE Appliances early in the new product introduction process and went above and beyond to minimize changes to exceed schedule and cost targets.

• Winners: Adkev Inc., SCAMM, Tech-Con Automation, Walker Tool and Die, Rechi Precision, Belco Industries, Test and Controls International.

Productivity
The Productivity Award recognizes those suppliers who have delivered above and beyond cost out solutions year over year enabling GE Appliances to remain competitive.

• Winners: Mar-Bal, Inc., Axiall Corporation, Well Shin Technology Co., Sun Strong Precision Metal Intl, Graybar Electric.

Most Improved
The Most Improved Award recognizes those suppliers that demonstrated significant improvement in at least one of the following areas: productivity, quality, delivery, NPI execution and/or customer service.

• Winners: Revere Plastic Systems, Zoppas Industries de México.

Service Parts Excellence
The Service Parts Excellence Award recognizes those suppliers who consistently delivered service parts on time despite increases in customer demands with minimal past dues or backorders.

• Winner: Jones Plastic & Engineering.

Silent Warrior
The Silent Warrior Award recognizes those suppliers who are the best at what they do and seamlessly execute on a day-to-day basis.

Winners: Thomas Products Company, Expeditors International, BDI, GWI Engineering, Inc., Millennium Tool Inc., Eika México.

Best New Supplier
The Best New Supplier Award recognizes those new suppliers to GE Appliances that quickly integrated into the GE Appliances process and stood out for exceptional performance during the execution of an NPI.

• Winners: Diehl Controls Mexico, Faber North America.