GKN Driveline Brazil bags Toyota quality award for the second time

GKN Driveline Brazil has been awarded Toyota’s prestigious South America Supplier Quality Excellence Award for the second year in a row.

Toyota awards suppliers each year in three categories, Quality, Logistics and Costs, with two levels of classification for each: Excellence for those that exceed established metrics and certification for those that stay within the limits.

GKN Driveline Brazil was awarded Excellence for achieving a year’s supply without a single quality concern, including zero defects and zero field actions. GKN Driveline Brazil has been supplying components to Toyota in South America since 2000. It currently supplies sideshafts for the Toyota Etios in Brazil and the Toyota Hilux in Argentina.

Jader Hilzendeger, GKN Driveline Brazil President, received the award from Steve St. Angelo, President of Toyota for Latin America and Caribbean, at an awards ceremony. Commenting on the award, he said: “It is an honour to receive such a prestigious award from Toyota, particularly as it is for the second year in succession. This is the result of a great focus on safety and quality, which are key priorities for GKN Driveline and areas in which we strive to continuously improve. To go through the year with no quality issues or field actions is a great achievement, but no less than we expect.”

GKN Driveline has two plants in Brazil – Porto Alegre and Charqueadas – with a sales office in Sao Paulo. GKN employs approximately 1,500 people in Brazil and produces sideshafts for customers including FCA, Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, PSA, Renault and Nissan.