Recognized leader in automotive

June 2018

ArcelorMittal was recently recognized by three key automakers – Honda, General Motors and Ford Motor Company - for excellence in developing and providing steel products and solutions for their vehicle brands. Honda R&D Americas Inc. awarded ArcelorMittal with its Excellence in Innovation Award. General Motors awarded ArcelorMittal's AM/NS Calvert with its Supplier Quality Award and ArcelorMittal with its Supplier Diversity Award, while Ford announced that ArcelorMittal ranked #1 amongst its five main suppliers for the seventh consecutive year.   

ArcelorMittal became the first steel company to receive Honda R&D Americas Inc.’s Excellence in Innovation Award. The award, which honors suppliers that achieve truly innovative results through breakthrough ideas, was presented to ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks (AMTB) at the 34th annual Honda Supplier Conference in Toronto.    

Honda recognized ArcelorMittal for its co-engineering efforts that led to the world’s first inner and outer door ring system for the 2019 Acura RDX, unveiled at WCX 18 in Detroit in April.  

Through co-engineering, the partners developed the first outer and inner door ring system, comprised of different grades of ArcelorMittal’s patented press hardenable steel, Usibor^® 1500. After the various Usibor^® steels are blanked, they are shipped to ArcelorMittal’s newest tailored blanks facility in Detroit where the enabling technology, called laser ablation, takes place. Once ablated, the steels are welded together, with multiple quality control processes to ensure precision. The blanks are then sent to a hot-stamper to be stamped into the final part.   

More than 700 OEM suppliers provide parts to 16 Honda plants in North America, producing Honda and Acura automobiles and light trucks and the engines and transmissions that power them. ArcelorMittal was the only supplier to receive the Excellence in Innovation Award.   

“This award speaks to the value proposition that we offer to the automotive industry. Not only can we produce lighter, more sustainable steels, but we look for creative ways to apply those new steels to benefit the automotive industry. Those benefits range from enhanced safety and performance to weight reduction, improved fuel efficiency and reduced CO₂ emissions,” said Todd Baker, president and CEO, ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks Americas. “And the credit for this award extends through all areas of the ArcelorMittal business. If other areas of our business – such as product delivery and quality – were not meeting the automaker’s demand, this innovation wouldn’t even be considered. This award underscores the need to continue to focus on both innovation and meeting customer expectations the first time, every time.”   

The outer and inner door ring system enhanced vehicle performance and safety, including supporting a five-star rating for the narrow offset crash test. The door ring solution also resulted in a 30 lb. weight reduction over the previous model.   

Jack Anderson, ArcelorMittal’s global account manager who, along with others from ArcelorMittal, accepted the honor in Toronto, said: “This next generation steel laser-welded blank steel solution achieves significant benefits in terms of performance, safety and efficiency for the customer. This was made possible, in part, due to the unprecedented co-engineering collaboration that exists by having ArcelorMittal engineers embedded within Honda.”    

To learn more, check out this video, “A Safety Game Changer.”   

AM/NS Calvert, ArcelorMittal's joint venture with Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metals Corporation, received the General Motors Supplier Quality Excellence Award for the 2017 calendar year.    

This marks the sixth year for this prestigious recognition, given to specific manufacturing locations that meet or exceed a very stringent set of quality performance criteria and have achieved the cross-functional support of the entire GM organization. Only top performing supplier manufacturing sites are eligible. This year's award was even more challenging as GM continues to launch many new and exciting products.  

"GM’s goal is to 'earn customers for life.' Fundamentally, it’s about changing behaviors, holding ourselves accountable, and delivering on our commitments. It’s about putting the customer at the center of everything we do, and that applies to every function, every employee and every supplier and their family of employees as well. And through your plant's performance, you are helping to live that culture," said Gary West, executive director, global supplier quality and development, GM.   

AM/NS Calvert's General Manager of Business Growth, Chris Richards, said, "On behalf of the entire AM/NS Calvert team, I thank GM for this prestigious recognition.  AM/NS Calvert values our partnership with GM and takes great pride in being able to provide quality products that satisfy not only their current needs, but also meet their future requirements." 

ArcelorMittal was the only company to receive General Motors' 2018 Supplier IMPACT Diamond Award at the automaker’s annual IMPACT Awards meeting held at Detroit’s COBO Center in May. This award marks ArcelorMittal's fourth consecutive year to receive a GM Supplier Diversity Award.   

“We are proud to recognize ArcelorMittal with our coveted IMPACT Diamond Award this year. ArcelorMittal continues to excel in their supplier diversity program and has worked hard to impact their company’s supply chain with certified, innovative diverse suppliers,” said Reggie Humphrey, Senior Manager, Supplier Diversity, General Motors.    
   
The Supplier Diversity Awards recognize the top 50 suppliers who have excelled in Tier 2 diversity procurement activity. The Diamond distinction is awarded to suppliers who have excelled in three additional areas beyond the top 50 contract value.  

“As the leading steelmaker in the world, my goal is for ArcelorMittal to have the number one supplier diversity program in our industry,” said ArcelorMittal's Cathy Wriston, who manages the automotive supplier diversity program for the company’s USA business. “Receiving the only Diamond Award presented from GM indicates we are moving in the right direction. Reggie and the GM diversity team have been a great inspiration to me and our program."  

Supplier diversity is a strategic business process for ArcelorMittal and demonstrates ArcelorMittal’s commitment to Sustainable Development Outcome #7, Supply chains that our customers trust. ArcelorMittal is committed to developing and maintaining supplier relationships that provide a source of competitive advantage. Having a diversity program allows ArcelorMittal to provide an opportunity for minority, women and veteran owned businesses to participate in the company’s procurement process.  

ArcelorMittal USA’s diversity spend with minority, women and veteran-owned businesses has increased by 59 percent since 2012 and has averaged more than $208 million in the last five years.  

“ArcelorMittal falls within the top 12 suppliers for diversity contract value and excelled in the categories of performance to goal and year over year performance improvement,” said Wriston. “General Motors was the first automotive OEM to establish a formal supplier diversity program in 1968. Today, we work with many automotive customers to increase the participation of minority, women and veteran owned businesses as suppliers to ArcelorMittal.”   

To further illustrate ArcelorMittal’s commitment to maintaining its position as the leading steel supplier to auto, the company received Ford’s highest ranking as part of the automaker’s annual Suppliers Performance Review (SPR). To receive such a rating from a major customer for seven consecutive years, or 28 quarters, is quite an achievement.   

Ford rates ArcelorMittal based on its North American business which includes seven ArcelorMittal facilities: Burns Harbor, Indiana Harbor, I/N Tek and I/N Kote (Indiana); Cleveland; AM/NS Calvert (Alabama); and Dofasco (Ontario). ArcelorMittal’s performance is compared and ranked against other major flat rolled steelmakers and aluminum suppliers on several categories that are critical to Ford’s business success. ArcelorMittal finished #1 in six of the eight categories.  

ArcelorMittal provides a variety of steel grades for every Ford vehicle. ArcelorMittal steel is used in all aspects of Ford’s cars, SUV’s, and trucks, including both exposed and unexposed applications.  

"Our entire team is extremely proud of this achievement," said Juan Carlos Babilonia, ArcelorMittal's Global Account Manager for Ford. "Being at the top for seven consecutive years is no easy task and it takes true team effort to accomplish this. Achieving a #1 ranking at Ford this year was the direct result of the hard work and the top-notch performance at all departments within our organization - from customer and technical service and quality to logistics, R&D and commercial. Ford is a valuable customer and our team is committed to delivering best-in-class customer service, top-notch technical support, and an extensive catalogue of advanced steel solutions. We look forward to continue being Ford’s trusted steel supplier."   

Reflecting on these four recent honors, ArcelorMittal North America CEO Brad Davey said: "These awards clearly emphasize the success we are having in supporting our customers in all aspects of their businesses. The Honda award is a testament to our excellent design support. The prestigious GM awards illustrate our commitment to both superior quality and supplier diversity. The Ford award shows our success across all levels and departments of our North American business. I am very proud that the great efforts of our teams are being recognized and rewarded from these great customers."