Hayes Lemmerz nets Ford's World Excellence Award for wheel production

Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc. has recently earned Ford’s Silver World Excellence Award for “exemplary performance” throughout 2007 as a supplier of automotive wheels.

The World Excellence Award specifically recognizes Autokola, which is Hayes Lemmerz’ steel wheel facility in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The operation was saluted for “consistently achieving high levels of quality, delivery and cost performance.”

“Our global relationship with Ford is highly valued, and we’re honored to receive this recognition,” says Fred Bentley, the firm’s chief operating officer. “This is the second consecutive year that our Autokola operation has been honored, and I am proud of our Hayes Lemmerz associates for their commitment to excellence.”

“This award is a testament to the hard-work and dedication of our employees,” says John Stephenson, vice president of operations for Europe, Africa and Asia.

“This is the second year in succession that Autokola has received this award. They have achieved this at the same time as expanding production by 20 percent,” Stephenson adds. “It demonstrates how far the team has come in managing growth and new customers while maintaining the highest levels of service and quality. I’m very proud of the team that we have in Ostrava.”

The company has 24 worldwide facilities with about 7,000 employees.

For more information, visit www.hayes-lemmerz.com.