AVON, Ohio – For the sixth consecutive year, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Bendix) has been recognized with one of the industry’s most-coveted supplier awards: Truck manufacturer PACCAR has again named Bendix one of its top-performing suppliers in North America.
Bendix, the North American leader in the development and manufacture of active safety, air management, and braking system technologies for commercial vehicles, joins 30 other suppliers honored with PACCAR Supplier Performance Management (SPM) awards.
Every year, PACCAR recognizes its top-performing suppliers through its SPM program. The honor is given to suppliers that achieve performance ratings according to PACCAR’s designated SPM Master, Leader, and Achiever status levels. The program is designed to drive collaboration and continuous improvement between the truck maker and its suppliers, in turn leading to performance enhancements and product innovations.
“To be named a winner of PACCAR’s distinguished Supplier Performance Management awards is a great accomplishment, especially noting we have been included in this prestigious group for the sixth year running,” said Mike Hawthorne, Bendix president and CEO. “This award is an honor and a proud moment for all of us. The performance ratings we earned from PACCAR in 2021 recognizes a wide range of process categories and speaks to the relationship we’ve developed with the PACCAR team, and it shows how well aligned we are when it comes to performance, value, and innovation. It’s an accomplishment we’re celebrating, and one we’ll continue to diligently pursue going forward.”
Bendix is part of Munich, Germany-based Knorr-Bremse, the global market leader for braking systems and a leading supplier of other safety-critical rail and commercial vehicle systems. Bendix’s manufacturing facilities are located in Acuña, Mexico; Bowling Green, Kentucky; Hanover, Pennsylvania; Huntington, Indiana; Lebanon, Tennessee; and Wytheville, Virginia.
A Scorecard for Supplier Performance
PACCAR is a global technology leader in the design, manufacture, and customer support of high-quality light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt, DAF, and Leyland nameplates. Through its SPM program, suppliers and PACCAR cross-functional teams work together to identify performance enhancements and develop product innovations.
The SPM designations are awarded to suppliers based on their annual performance in specific areas related to product development, operations support, and alignment with PACCAR business objectives.
During 2021, Bendix earned high marks for its well-aligned business process, attention to quality, engineering programs, and aftermarket support.
“The PACCAR Supplier Performance Management awards have earned their reputation as one of the most rigorous, accurate, and objectively determined supplier awards in the industry,” said Carlos Hungria, Bendix chief operating officer. “These awards prioritize specific metrics and measurable results over broad characterizations and subjective impressions. The analysis and detail that goes into this program is impressive.”
According to Hungria, Bendix approaches the metrics with the same precision, using the Customer Power Center forum to review the company’s performance in deep detail against the objectives each month and taking the applicable actions to drive results. “Our colleagues at PACCAR live and breathe this performance management system, and they embrace the criteria on which suppliers are scored. And that makes winning this recognition very meaningful. Everyone at Bendix is honored and proud to have earned this achievement again in 2021,” he stated.
Hungria continued, “From engineering to logistics to cost management, our processes are as complex as they are broad in scope. Earning PACCAR’s recognition of these areas speaks to our exemplary level of collaboration and dedication across North America. On behalf of everyone at Bendix, I offer our sincere appreciation to our partners at PACCAR for sharing their values with us. We’ll continue our mission to excel across a range of stringent standards and further this partnership going forward.”
Bendix takes these metrics very seriously and reviews in detail its performance toward those objectives monthly with the corresponding actions at the Customer Power Center.
In additional supplier honors, PACCAR also named Bendix to its list of premier suppliers that meet the OE’s exacting quality expectation of 10 PPM or less non-conforming parts and components. Three Bendix manufacturing operations – in Bowling Green, Huntington, and Acuña – earned this distinction based on 2021 performance. The PACCAR 10 PPM Supplier List is measured on a rolling 12-month basis. To achieve this distinction, PACCAR-approved suppliers must meet a range of criteria – in areas that include warranty, quality system certifications, on-time submission rates, and more – in addition to sustaining a non-conforming parts rate below 10 PPM (product defects expressed in parts per million).
Through an ever-growing portfolio of technology developments and dedicated post-sales support, Bendix delivers on areas critical to the commercial vehicle industry, including safety, vehicle performance, and efficiency. For over 90 years, the company has worked toward safer roads for everyone, helping to lower the total cost of commercial vehicle ownership and strengthen return on investment in safety technologies.
About Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC:
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, a member of Knorr-Bremse, develops and supplies leading-edge active safety technologies, energy management solutions, and air brake charging and control systems and components under the Bendix brand name for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, tractors, trailers, buses, and other commercial vehicles throughout North America. An industry pioneer, employing more than 4,100 people, Bendix and its wholly owned subsidiary, R.H. Sheppard Co., Inc. is driven to deliver the best solutions for improved vehicle safety, performance, and overall operating cost. Contact us at 1-800-AIR-BRAKE (1-800-247-2725) or visit bendix.com. Stay connected and informed through Bendix expert podcasts, blog posts, videos, and other resources at knowledge-dock.com. Follow Bendix on Twitter at twitter.com/Bendix_CVS. Log on and learn from the Bendix experts at brake-school.com. And to learn more about career opportunities at Bendix, visit bendix.com/careers.
