"Receiving Ford's Q1 award is a tremendous achievement by the entire MSX International Engineering Services division and puts us in a great position to move ahead with Ford and a host of very important programs both here in North America, South America, and Europe," said Risk.

Risk noted that Ford's criteria for achieving Q1 status includes an adherence to a stringent set of performance metrics which measure the effectiveness of MSX International's operating system: having ISO 9001 status, demonstrating management's participation with operating teams, and obtaining customer endorsements from key Ford customers. In addition to demonstrating improved capabilities in the last six to 12 months, the award recognizes MSX International as having processes in place for continuous improvement in meeting or exceeding Ford's stringent requirements.

Risk added that Ford is looking for and partnering with suppliers that not only have the technology and discipline to provide world-class services, but also have the dedication and responsiveness to react quickly to customer needs and be able to solve problems before they arise. "Ford wants suppliers that are continually improving their processes," he said.

Ford will be presenting the Q1 award to MSX International's management at a ceremony today at the company's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The Ford Q1 flag will be raised during this ceremony.

Ramelli, 53, comes from automotive supplier AlliedSignal Inc., where he was vice president of learning and organization development. He will report to Kathleen S. Barclay, vice president of global human resources. Since her appointment in October 1998, Barclay also has served as president of GMU.

Daniel "Donnee" Ramelli

Photo: GM

He has a bachelor of science degree from Auburn University and a master's in business administration from George Washington University. Ramelli is a member of the National Board of Directors for the American Society of Training and Development. He is also a member of the Conference Board Council on Development, Education and Training and the American Society for Quality Control.

GMU was formed in March 1997. It is a global network of education and training designed to help employees continuously improve their skills to conduct and grow the business of General Motors. GMU courses are conducted in classrooms and learning laboratories throughout the world and are also available electronically via GM's Intranet through GM University On-Line. GMU currently has 15 colleges charged with developing curricula tailored not only to the professional needs of its students, but also to the unique challenges facing employees from a business sector, divisional or regional perspective. In all, more than 1300 courses are currently available.

RSPP is a high-performance soundproofing material made from urethane foam and fibers extracted from automobile shredder residue (ASR) produced from end-of-life vehicles. Containing scientifically allocated seams of air, RSPP offers an excellent balance of sound absorption, insulation, and soundproofing that not only out-performs conventional materials, but also retains its efficiency even after years of use. RSPP, itself, can be recycled.

TMC began installing RSPP dashboard and floor pan silencers in January 1996 with the Corona Premio. It has constantly expanded the range of its vehicles using the material--since September, the Platz, FunCargo, Celica, MR-S and Crown have joined the Corona Premio, Caldina, Carina, Prius, Land Cruiser, Altezza, and Vitz in featuring RSPP components.

TMC's technical expertise in processing end-of-life vehicles represents nearly three decades of accumulated experience that started in 1970 with its establishing of Toyota Metal Co., Ltd., which is now Japan's highest-capacity ASR processing company. This know-how has allowed TMC to find new applications for ASR, which in the past, was simply disposed of in landfills. Through Toyota technologies, ASR, now serves as a source of urethane foam and fibers for RSPP, copper wire for reinforcing aluminum castings, and glass as a tile additive.

TMC, with Toyota Metal, began full operation of the world's first mass-production ASR recycling plant in August last year, in Aichi Prefecture. This led to a substantial increase in the availability of RSPP, which in turn now allows the environmentally considerate soundproofing material to be used in 104,000 new Toyota vehicles a month. Additionally, TMC has developed a technology by which resins obtained from ASR can be converted into a kerosene substitute for high-temperature combustion furnaces.

Through these efforts, TMC has achieved a recovery rate of over 87% for vehicles processed by Toyota Metal. This figure surpasses the 2002 goal of a minimum of 85% outlined in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry's End-of-life Vehicle Recycling Initiative.

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