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33 AutoData | July 2018 The x-ray of the four leaders on the table 1st Maxion Wheels 54 16 0 36 2 2nd NGK 48 0 24 24 0 3rd Grupo Continental 44 0 8 36 0 4th ZF 36 0 0 32 4 Position Company Points World Prize Company of the Year Category Certificate tirelessly, to the pursuit of excellence in everything they do.” In second place was NGK, a constant presence in prizes granted by the vehi- cle manufacturers to its suppliers. So its 48 points came, fifty-fifty, from receiving awards of company of the year and being the winner in some categories. In the first case 24 points were from three awards, two of them prominent in General Motors, with a two-time championship referring to 2016 and 2017, and one from Honda in 2015. The other half came from six no- minations in categories, divided into one from General Motors in 2016 and five from Honda, one in 2015, three in 2016 and one in 2017. Célio Takata, OEM sales director at NGK of Brazil, believes that the company “is totally focused on quality and part- nership with the customer regarding the product and the service as well. Our po- sition in the ranking is a recognition that our work policy is right”. GOOD PARAMETER The third-place of the AutoData’s ranking is celebrated by the Continental Group, with 44 points: eight for being pro- minent in the General Motors in 2016 and another 36 points from nine categories: four from GM, two in 2016 and two in 2017, two from Ford in 2017, one from Honda in 2017, one fromMercedes-Benz in 2015 and one from MAN in 2017. For Roberto Celli, Continental’s Direc- tor of Quality, the ranking elaborated by AutoData “is very interesting for consi- dering the last three years, this way offe- ring a complete analysis. Our main goal is customer satisfaction and the table is a good parameter, it shows that we are on the right track for excellence. Quality is the base of our business”. Closing the top-4 group: ZF, which at 36 points guaranteed participation in the AutoData Award for the Best Companies of the Automotive Industry of 2018. The classification was guaranteed thanks to eight nominations in categories: one from General Motors in 2017, one from Honda in 2015, four fromToyota, one in 2015, two in 2016 and one in 2017, one fromMerce- des-Benz in 2016 and one from MAN in 2017. The company also complemented its score with two more certificates, both fromToyota, conquered in 2016 and 2017. Michel Haddad, marketing manager at ZF South America, reveals that “it is a great honor for the entire ZF Group to re- ceive this important and already traditional award of the automotive segment. Being recognized for quality and partnership of the automotive industry inspires us to continue on the track to search innovative mobility solutions”. THE SCORE CRITERIA OF THE AUTODATA RANKING World Prize: 16 points Company of the Year: 8 points Category: 4 points Certificate: 2 points