09/20/2002 – HASSELT, Belgium, Europe

TDS Automotive Genk plant has successfully passed a FORD Lean Assessment Survey earning the highest possible score. This "level 3" rating is achieved by only 5 - 7 % of all Ford suppliers throughout Europe. In line with this score TDS has been requested by the Ford Lean Team to serve as a Lean Benchmark Supplier for their supply base.

“Given that within the Ford organization, lean deployment is considered one of the key focus areas, we are extremely proud to be recognized in this regard,” commented Bill Schwank, Vice President, TDS Lean Engineering. “TDS commitment to quality performance and customer satisfaction is evidenced by this honour and I thank the Genk operations team for all their hard work and diligence during this process.”

The performance and lessons learned in Genk will be shared as a ‘best practices’ throughout TDS operations globally as part of TDS automotive’s dedication to providing world-class services.