American Honda Announces Top Suppliers for 2019

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. President & CEO Shinji Aoyama yesterday presented the company’s annual Premier Partner Award to 15 suppliers. Honda celebrated the suppliers’ achievements and contributions to Honda at a special ceremony held in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

These suppliers play an important role in supporting Honda businesses and operations, including Honda and Acura automobiles, automobile engines and transmissions, Honda all-terrain vehicles, power equipment products, general purpose engines and the HondaJet advanced light jet. Each has demonstrated excellence in quality, value and customer service.

The 2019 American Honda Premier Partner Award recipients include:

• Ansira of St. Louis, Mo. for delivering impactful customer experiences
• Atlantic Container Line AB of Westfield, N.J. for providing international transport services
• BI Worldwide of Minneapolis, Minn. for developing customer engagement programs
• CulturGrit, LLC of San Diego, Calif. for strategic consulting services
• Data Linkage Software, Inc. of Torrance, Calif. for software development
• DC Safety Sales Co., Inc. of Hauppauge, N.Y. for supplying first-aid and preparedness products
• Elanders Americas of Davenport, Iowa for producing and distributing the annual American Honda Marine Sales and Service kit
• Grupo CSI of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico for providing automotive logistics solutions
• L.A. Prep, Inc. of Signal Hill, Calif. for vehicle support services
• Martin Brinkerhoff Associates, Inc. of Irvine, Calif. for producing the annual Honda automobile dealer meeting
• Pattison Sign Group of Knoxville, Tenn. for sign fabrication and branding solutions
• Performance Team, LLC of El Segundo, Calif. for logistics and distribution services
• PRC Mechanical of Burbank, Calif. for mechanical services and system installations at American Honda facilities
• Targetbase of Irving, Texas for management of proprietary customer databases
• Tokio Marine – TMCS of New York for providing risk management tools

American Honda also recognized George P. Johnson Experience Marketing, Inc. with the Impact & Excellence Award, an honor presented to a company that has had a positive impact on the American Honda enterprise. A longtime Honda partner, George P. Johnson has played a key role in the development and implementation of Honda and Acura event and auto show displays for more than four decades.

The Premier Partner Award recipients were selected from more than 1,000 eligible companies, as nominated by American Honda associates. They represent multiple industries and include small businesses and minority-owned operations. Ten of this year’s 15 winners are repeat recipients.

Honda is committed to the establishment of long-term relationships with all of its suppliers based on mutual benefit and trust. The company works to bring greater diversity to its supply base by assisting potential ethnic minority and women-owned suppliers with workshops and other educational opportunities. The workshops provide a greater understanding of a variety of important issues including strategic alliances, capitalization and empowerment programs.

The Premier Partner award program was established in 1998 to recognize suppliers who embrace American Honda’s philosophy of exceeding customer expectations.

60th Anniversary of Honda in America
Honda marked its 60th anniversary in America in June 2019, and 40 years of production in America in Sept. 2019. Honda established its first U.S. business operation in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1959. Today, Honda employs more than 31,000 associates in the development, manufacturing, sales and servicing of Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda power equipment and powersports products, the HondaJet advanced light jet and GE Honda HF120 turbofan engines.

Based on its longstanding commitment to “build products close to the customer,” Honda operates 12 major manufacturing facilities in America, working with more than 600 suppliers in the region to produce roughly 4 million products annually for customers locally and globally. In 2018, almost two-thirds of the Honda and Acura automobiles sold in the U.S. were produced in America, using domestic and globally sourced parts. 

Honda also operates 14 major research and development centers in the U.S. with the capacity to fully design, develop and engineer many of the products Honda produces in America, using domestic and globally sourced parts, including Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda side-by-side vehicles and power equipment, as well as the HondaJet.