DETROIT -- Italian brake specialist Brembo S.p.A. and French tire maker Michelin have been added to Ford Motor Co.'s list of preferred suppliers.
Ford announced Friday it has increased its list by 13 suppliers, which now have an inside track for future business with the automaker.
The additions bring the list of companies in the Aligned Business Framework program to 90. That includes 67 suppliers of parts and 23 companies that supply services or equipment.
“Strong supplier relationships are embedded in the principles” of the automaker's strategic plan, Tony Brown, group vice president of global purchasing said in a statement. “By increasing our ABF network, Ford is building a strong foundation of suppliers…”
Suppliers selected under Ford's program are rewarded with long-term deals that allow early access to product development programs.
The program, which began in 2005, outlines terms of collaboration between Ford and selected suppliers.
Suppliers selected to join the program enter long-term relationships with Ford to strengthen collaboration and drive mutual profitability and technology development. Ford agrees to provide to those suppliers long-term contracts, improved parts commonality and more information sharing of product and manufacturing plans.
Suppliers commit to provide Ford with increased financial transparency, to work with minority- and women-owned suppliers and to bring leading-edge technology innovations to Ford.
The new suppliers on the list:
• Akebono
• Automotive Lighting
• Benteler Automobiltechnik GmbH
• Brembo
• Federal-Mogul Corp.
• Gentex Corp.
• GKN plc
• Hayes Lemmerz International
• Key Safety Systems Inc.
• Michelin
• Ronal GmbH
• Samvardhana Motherson Reflectec
• Takata Holdings Inc.
The new companies -- the first additions since June 2009 -- include companies that provide tires, powertrain parts, safety and restraint systems, chassis components, lighting and mirrors.
Last year, about half of Ford's global production purchase orders went to suppliers on the preferred list, up from 34 percent in 2006, Ford said.
