India’s Apollo Tyres is among the seven winners of this year’s Daimler Truck Supplier Awards. On July 17, 2024, Daimler Truck, the world’s largest truck manufacturer, held its Supplier Summit 2024 at the Industry Information Center in Wörth am Rhein, Germany. The event was attended by around 200 suppliers from all over the world.
Daimler Truck hosted talks with 200 important suppliers and strategic partners to strengthen cooperation and shape the future of transport together.
The aim of the event, under the motto ‘empowering tomorrow – together today’, was to give suppliers an insight into the corporate strategy and technology topics of the future. Additionally at this event, seven global suppliers received the Daimler Truck Supplier Award, two of them for outstanding commitment to sustainability. One of these two suppliers is India’s Apollo Tyres for its commitment to biodiversity and CO₂ neutrality at its site in India (see details below in ‘Winners panel’).
The seven winners were selected on the basis of outstanding performance and a very strong partnership-based cooperation.
Andreas Gorbach, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck Holding AG, responsible for Truck Technology, said: “Our industry is facing a big challenge as we move towards decarbonization and digitalization. However, we at Daimler Truck also see this as a big opportunity — and we want to make the most of it. Strong, reliable, and long-term partnerships with our suppliers are therefore more crucial than ever. Together, we are making diesel drives even more efficient and clean. At the same time, we are accelerating zero-emission drives and we are making our vehicles more intelligent with electronics and software. We are proud and grateful to be able to work with such strong partners, because we can only shape the future together.”
Dr. Marcus Schoenenberg, Head of Global Procurement & Supplier Management, Daimler Truck, commented: “We want to lead the way in sustainable transport. To do this, we need suppliers who share our vision, who contribute their ideas and who find us to be a reliable and strong partner in order to be successful. That’s what we want to convey at the Supplier Summit.”
In five workshops and a panel talk, Daimler Truck entered into a professional dialogue with its partners on topics such as autonomous driving, sustainability in the supply chain and macroeconomic developments. Suppliers were also able to experience the latest products and innovations from Daimler Truck up close as part of driving experiences and product exhibitions. In this way, Daimler Truck aims to give its suppliers an insight behind the scenes and promote the further exchange of ideas.
“The global supplier network contributes significantly to the added value of our products and is of great importance for customer satisfaction and the sustainable transformation of the commercial vehicle industry. Now it is important to continue supplying the proven and highly efficient trucks and buses in top quality and at the same time convince our customers of the new emission-free drive technologies. In addition to safety and driving comfort, quality and economy are essential. We can only achieve this together with committed and strong suppliers at our side. We would like to thank our reliable partners for this,” said Dr. Marcus Schoenenberg, Head of Global Procurement & Supplier Management, Daimler Truck.
WINNERS OF THE DAIMLER TRUCK SUPPLIER AWARD 2024
L-R: Dr. Marcus Schoenenberg (CPO, Daimler Truck AG), Guido Rovaro (Disc GBU COO, Brembo N.V.), Frithjof Noeth (Head of Procurement and Supplier Management Powertrain, Daimler Truck AG).
BREMBO: Brembo receives the award for comprehensive and innovative resource savings in brake discs for Daimler Truck vehicles. The Italian manufacturer’s brake discs give the Mercedes-Benz Actros a competitive advantage. The long-standing and cooperative collaboration with the supplier since 2003 deserves special mention.
L-R: Dr. Marcus Schoenenberg (CPO, Daimler Truck AG), Volker Pulg (Director Sales, Denso), Yuji Ishizuka (Head of Amercian/European Sales, Executive Officer, Denso), Junichi Kawaguchi (President, Denso), Partha Thota (Head of Procurement and Supplier Management Daimler Truck Asia).
DENSO CORPORATION: Denso wins for its long-standing cooperation and reliable supply of fuel injection systems, sensors and safety control mechatronics. The company’s long-term and reliable partnership for more than 40 years has enabled the supplier’s delivery reliability and excellent supply chain management to withstand various challenges – from natural disasters to difficulties with parts availability.
L-R: Dr. Marcus Schoenenberg (CPO, Daimler Truck AG), Sérgio Carvalho (CEO, Randoncorp), Ricardo Escoboza (COO, Randoncorp), Bernardo Bregoli Soares (Director of Master – MD, Randoncorp), Matthias Kaeding (Head of Procurement and Supplier Management Mercedes-Benz do Brasil)
RANDONCORP: With a 24-year partnership with Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, the company is one of the most important suppliers in Brazil. Randoncorp received the award for its excellent know-how in the development of axles, axle suspensions and electrification technologies.
L-R: Dr. Marcus Schoenenberg (CPO, Daimler Truck AG), Felix Pönisch (Key Account Manager Business Unit Industrial Gases & Services, Westfalen AG), Miriam Jäger (Head of Indirect Procurement, Daimler Truck AG)
WESTFALEN AG: Westfalen AG was recognized for its in-depth expertise in filling stations with liquid hydrogen. Daimler Truck relies on the company to supply its fuel cell test benches with hydrogen. The supplier demonstrated very high flexibility and fast response times.
L-R: Dr. Marcus Schoenenberg (CPO, Daimler Truck AG), Thomas Jung (MD, Volz E.K.T. GmbH), Barbara Martin (MD, Volz E.K.T. GmbH), Thorsten Ullrich (CEO, Volz E.K.T. GmbH), Miriam Jäger (Head of Indirect Procurement, Daimler Truck AG)
VOLZ E.K.T. GmbH: Volz E.K.T. GmbH received the award due to its solution orientation combined with flexibility in the context of maintenance processes. This enabled the supplier to make a significant contribution to safeguarding production processes.
WINNERS OF THE DAIMLER TRUCK SUPPLIER AWARD 2024 – SUSTAINABILITY CATEGORY
L-R: Dr. Marcus Schoenenberg (CPO, Daimler Truck AG), Pedro de Matos (OE Strategy and Global Program Management, Member of the European Operations Executive Committee, Apollo Tyres), John Nikhil Joy (Cluster Director for Truck Bus Radial Tyres in Europe, Apollo Tyres), Partha Thota (Head of Procurement and Supplier Management Daimler Truck Asia)
APOLLO TYRES: Apollo Tyres receives the Daimler Truck Supplier Award in the Sustainability category for its commitment to biodiversity and CO₂ neutrality at its site in India. The commitment ranges from reforestation projects to increasing the proportion of renewable energies. In addition, the company acts beyond the boundaries of its business activities with important health initiatives for the truck driver community and the empowerment of disadvantaged women.
L-R: Dr. Marcus Schoenenberg (CPO, Daimler Truck AG), Thomas Mayr (Key Account Manager, CORPAC Germany GmbH & Co), Miriam Jäger (Head of Indirect Procurement, Daimler Truck), Karin Heinze (Sales, CORPAC Germany GmbH & Co), Lennart Schlüter (MD, CORPAC Germany GmbH).
CORPAC GERMANY GmbH & Co: CORPAC Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG receives the Daimler Truck Supplier Award in the Sustainability category for its innovations in the field of anti-corrosion protection films for the transportation of our components. By reducing the thickness of the protective films by more than a third, the CO₂ footprint of Daimler Truck AG was further reduced.
All photographs: © Daimler Truck AG