BEST SUPPLIER AWARD FIVE TIMES IN A ROW FOR SUNDARAM FASTENERS LIMITED

General Motors has over 30,000 suppliers all over the world.  Every year, a global team of experts assess these suppliers on their quality, service, technology and of course, the all important price factor.  Based on these factors, the Best Supplier Award is given.  Sundaram Fasteners Ltd has got the award for the fifth year in succession, starting from 1996 onwards. Sundram Fasteners supplies radiator caps to 27 GM plants located across the globe. The company has so far supplied over 30 million radiator caps to GM’s overseas operations.

A mean achievement, considering the fact that only nine suppliers of GM, across the world have got the award so many times so far and Sundaram Fasteners is the only Indian company to get the award.  The importance of Sundaram Fastener's contribution to GM was underlined by the presence of Peter Register, Director, General Motors-Singapore at the award presentation ceremony.

Sundaram Fasteners boast of consistent zero-defects without any compromises; 100 per cent reliability on delivery schedules and the lowest price for the product in the world. Suresh Krishna, Chairman and Managing Director, Sundaram Fasteners, was presented with the 'Supplier of the Year - 2000 Award' by Peter Register, at a function which was held in Sundaram Fasteners' premises at Padi.  Accepting the award, Suresh Krishna said that it was indeed a great honour and proud moment for Sundaram Fasteners to receive GM's prestigious "Supplier of the Year Award" for the 5^th consecutive year.  He stated that the recognition manifest Sundaram Fasteners' commitment to supplying international quality products matching international standards. 

Addressing the gathering in chaste Tamil, Suresh Krishna recalled their first step in catering to the export market, "Fifteen years ago, when Sundaram Fasteners' chose to target the export market many friends doubted the decision, questioning why eye market abroad when there was still so much demand in the domestic sector.  At that time even the dollar rate was against us.  But, still we went ahead because we wanted to compete on a global platform and today we see the fruits of that decision.  Today our export value is to the tune of Rs 100 crore.  We would not be so profitable if I was not for our strength in the market abroad".   He added that a company could consider itself of international standing when it was able to get 50% of its revenue from exports.  He distributed certificates to all employees of the Radiator Caps Division.

Peter Register who presented the award said that General Motors, USA, was proud to be associated with such a quality conscious and enterprising organisation like Sundaram Fasteners.  He expressed hope, that this mutually beneficial relationship would continue to flourish in the years to come.

Sundaram Fasteners is a leader is high tensile fasteners and is the first Indian company in the Engineering sector to receive the TPM Excellence Award given by the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance in 1998.  In 1990, Sundaram Fasteners became the first Indian company to achieve ISO 9000 certification.

Sudhir Rao, Executive Vice-President - Plant Operations, General Motors India, encouraged the workers to hit a 'sixer' in the next year and bag the award for the sixth time.

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