Held in Shanghai, the Visteon Important Partner of the year 2006 ceremony acknowledged 28 outstanding Visteon suppliers around the world. The event, which took place on the 17th April, was hosted in China for the first time this year.

The annual supplier award program, now in its fifth year, recognises best-in-class performers within Visteon's global supply base. Selection criteria are focused on supplier performance in terms of quality, delivery, value, technical capability and customer service. Supplier awards were granted for suppliers from North America, Europe, Asia and South America in six categories: metals, non-metals, electronics, non-production goods and services, transportation and local supplier of the year.

When MIRA's Engineering Director, Graham Townsend, received the award he commented, "MIRA has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to Visteon over the years. It is very satisfying to receive such an accolade from one of our key customers. We are proud to have been recognised for the effort we have all put into the relationship to our mutual benefit.and in light of the new challenges facing our sector from renewed competition, long may it continue."

"It is our goal to continuously improve the implementation of a value-based supply chain," commented Jonathan K. Maples, Visteon vice president, global purchasing, about the awards. "The Visteon Important Partner program recognizes suppliers that demonstrate excellence in their collaborative efforts with Visteon. Nominees were assessed for their levels of achievement in delivering efficiencies throughout the supply chain, reducing costs and collaborating on flawless delivery to our customers."

Award nominees, including MIRA, underwent a thorough review of their performance and business contributions by Visteon's global materials management team, with input from Visteon's global product groups including purchasing, quality, product development and manufacturing.

MIRA had to achieve 100 percent concurrence across all customer functions and operating regions to confirm that we have demonstrated the high level of performance that Visteon promotes within its supply base.