LOS ANGELES — Motorcar Parts of America (MPA) has been honored by Frost & Sullivan with the 2004 Product Quality Leadership Award, for the North American Automotive Starter and Alternator Aftermarket. Frost & Sullivan is a leading growth consulting firm.
MPA was selected for the award over 10 major competitors. Award recipients were selected through interviews with all market participants, end-users and distributors, in addition to extensive secondary and technology research. Once MPA was nominated, the company’s nomination was submitted to the Strategic Review Committee for approval and awarding. The remaining nominees were then compared and ranked. Factors such as feasibility of product launch, likelihood of customer acceptance, acceptance rates and estimated time to market were also taken into consideration.
According to Jasmine Sachdeva, Frost & Sullivan’s Automotive Aftermarket industry manager, Motorcar Parts of America’s dedication to consistency in product quality is critical component to the company’s success in the aftermarket.
“Frost & Sullivan believes that product quality leadership is an essential element to satisfying customers, increasing repeat buying behavior and assuring long-term market survival,” said Sachdeva. “Motorcar Parts of America has demonstrated these leadership qualities in the remanufactured starter and alternator aftermarket.”
Frost & Sullivan analysts said several major factors drew their attention to MPA, including the company’s analysis of aftermarket starter and alternator cores to see which components and other factors commonly cause units to fail. With this hindsight, MPA’s Quality Engineering Division develops solutions to extend the lifetime of each part. The Quality Engineering Division is responsible for a multitude of quality assurance tasks, including the integration of all learned “knowledge” through advanced engineering techniques, which is then made available internally to all departments.
MPA also uses “lean manufacturing,” which reorganizes the manufacturing process to combine product families with similar configurations into dedicated, self-contained factory work “cells.” “We’ve aligned our business strategy with our manufacturing strategy, to ensure the improvements we’ve already made with lean manufacturing will be here for the long-term,” said MPA’s CEO, Selwyn Joffe. Lean manufacturing replaced the more traditional assembly line approach, previously utilized, reducing direct labor costs and work in process. MPA’s unique manufacturing system enables it to quickly respond to changing customer requirements, according to the company.
To further secure quality leadership standards, MPA works closely with component suppliers to ensure that quality standards are continually improved. Frost & Sullivan said it found this “vital” to quality leadership because the quality of a remanufactured starter and alternator is “indicative of the sum of all its parts,” Sachdeva said.
MPA also maintains QS-9000 Certification: a demanding, industry-wide quality control evaluation standard. It is one of the highest quality standards achievable for automotive parts suppliers, and is a requirement for supplying parts to many of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers. To maintain QS-9000 Certification, MPA must pass rigorous inspections by external auditors every six months.
In what Frost & Sullivan considers a “fiercely competitive,” mature global market, the Quality Leadership Award gives MPA tangible recognition that further solidifies its leadership. “We are honored to receive Frost & Sullivan’s award,” Joffe said. “At MPA, we don’t focus on receiving recognition, although it’s nice. Our goal is to provide our customers with the highest-grade parts to help minimize failure and reduce warranty claims.”
The award was presented at Frost & Sullivan’s “2004 Best Practices Award Banquet,” on Oct. 20, at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, California.
For more information about MPA, go to: www.motorcarparts.com.
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