Steel producer named Supplier of the Year
By Terry Troy
For the fourth straight year, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has been named GM Supplier of the Year by General Motors during a virtual ceremony last week honoring the recipients of the company’s 29th annual Supplier of the Year Awards. Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America.
GM recognized its best suppliers from 16 countries for their performance in the 2020 calendar year. The annual awards highlight global suppliers that distinguish themselves by exceeding GM’s requirements, in turn providing GM customers with innovative technologies and among the highest quality in the automotive industry.
“As GM works to achieve a future with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion, we are proud to have innovative and dedicated suppliers around the world as partners in this mission,” said Shilpan Amin, GM vice president, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. “Throughout a challenging year, our suppliers have showed resilience and dedication in working toward our shared goal of long-term sustainability for our planet and the communities we serve, while meeting our present needs,” Amin said. “We are pleased with what we’ve accomplished together in the past year and we are excited by the opportunity that lies ahead.”
“We are proud to be named GM Supplier of the Year winner for the fourth straight year,” said Lourenco Goncalves, Cleveland-Cliffs’ chairman, president and Chief CEO. “Our leading position in automotive steel is undeniable, and we value GM’s recognition of our outstanding quality, reliability and delivery performance.
“This prestigious award recognizes the performance of the Cleveland-Cliffs’ team and our first-class R&D and equipment capabilities, supporting our well-known ability to deliver a more comprehensive offering of high-end steel products to the automotive industry than any other steel supplier in the United States.”
The announcement comes on the heels of a ribbon cutting ceremony this month that Cleveland-Cliffs held to celebrate the initial six months of continued operation and production of hot-briquetted iron (HBI) at the company’s state-of-the art Direct Reduction plant in Toledo, which employs nearly 160. Goncalves hosted Governor Mike DeWine for the ceremony.
“I’m happy to be part of the celebration of Cleveland-Cliffs’ new Direct Reduction plant in Toledo,” said Governor DeWine during the event. “This plant is bringing new life to a site that is now producing domestically a much-needed product for the steel industry using an environmentally friendly process, and providing jobs and opportunities for workers in Northwest Ohio,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “When Cleveland-Cliffs was searching for a home for this plant, they recognized that Ohio is a great place to do business and chose Toledo because it has a ready workforce, excellent infrastructure, and good partners to help lay the groundwork, such as JobsOhio, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, the Regional Growth Partnership, the City of Toledo, and others.”
Late last year, Cleveland-Cliffs grabbed business headlines by completing its acquisition of ArcelorMittal USA, which has substantial Cleveland-based steel producing operations.
The 2020 GM Supplier of the Year winners were selected by a global team of GM purchasing, engineering, quality, manufacturing and logistics leaders. Winners were chosen based on performance criteria in Product Purchasing, Global Purchasing and Manufacturing Services, Customer Care and Aftersales, and Logistics.