AD_MAGAZINE_344

39 AutoData | May 2018 mes convenient to nationalize this type of component”. This already happens with tires and glass in the case of Hyundai vehicles, according to the executive, and also in the 11% of national components of Chery’s Tiggo 2. Anyway, he argues that “for some componentswe cannot scale here in Brazil because we have operated so far with a smaller volume, that’s why we still import a lot”. The Asian origin of auto parts someti- mes also goes in favor of importing com- ponents into the calculations: “In some cases it is difficult to develop something local, competitively priced, whenwe have the headquarters installed in China and South Korea, where the industry is very strong in terms of cost”. THE CHAMPIONS While calculating and taking into ac- count the noveltywith its newChinese par- tner, Caoa recognized its best suppliers in 2017 and, of these, Axalta, automotive paint manufacturer, was the great recognition Disclousure/CAOA Montadora champion, divided into seven categories. Witt said that the initiative’s proposal is to strengthen the relationship with the supply chain: “Recognizing the best prac- tices is a constant reality and, for the se- cond time, when the economy shows clear signs of recovery, wewant to reinforce the importance and admirationwhich they are seen by us”. One of the awards given by the manu- facturer was the excellence in aftermarket operational standards - last year Caoa led the ranking of best service in this area as determined by JD Power, beating tradi- tional brands such as Honda and Toyota. For the director of the company “the great advance and the impressive increase of the satisfaction of our clients happened in a gradual and consistent way and much of this passes not only for the initiatives and strategies of our team for continuous improvement, but also for the work and disposition of the companies that were with us”. In this regard Automobi. received the main honor. They defined the winning criteria as quality, commitment, technology, perfor- mance and competitive price. In addition to the seven majorwinners, Caoa offered a certificate in recognition of the goodwork of several suppliers. As supplier of the year Neo Rodas took the certificate In quality Lear division Seats took the prize and, with certificate, to Neo Rodas. In nationalization Flamma got the main one and the certificatewent to Plastic Omnium. In the innovation category in cost and ex- cellence in direct purchases, they recog- nized Axalta and, in certificate, Doowon. Excellence in indirect material purcha- ses awarded Saint Gobain, Abrasives divi- sion, while Multi Point took the certificate. And, closing the awards, in the category excellence in indirect purchases services the partywas for Geobox, while Loyal took the certificate.