Meritor Inc. has received a significant award for parts quality and has also bestowed company honors on three of its employees.
Paccar Inc. has given Meritor is fourth consecutive Quality Achievement Award for parts and component quality. To achieve the award, Meritor said, suppliers must have a defect rate of 50 parts per million or less.
Four Meritor manufacturing facilities received the 2012 Quality Achievement Award: Forest City, NC; Cienega, Mexico; Frankfort, KY; and Sisamex, the company’s joint venture with Quimmco in Monterrey, Mexico.
“Earning this award for several years at multiple manufacturing sites underscores our deep commitment to providing customers with the highest-quality components in the industry,” said Wayne Watson, general manager, Commercial Vehicle Systems Operations, North America, Meritor. “Drivers can be confident in the reliability and performance of Meritor parts.”
In addition to the Paccar awards, Meritor also handed out some honors to its employees recently.
Jason Grasman was named the company’s 2012 Manufacturing Engineer of the Year. According to Meritor, Grasman earned the award for his distinguished and cost competitive contributions to the design and launch efforts of the brake spider machining and assembly process for on-highway truck air cam brakes at Meritor’s York, SC facility. Meritor used this solution to in-source brake spider machining, resulting in significantly lower machine times that drove productivity improvements as well as cost savings.
“Jason’s ability to conceptualize, design, build and install the brake spider machining is tribute to his amazing contributions and engineer skill,” said Chris Villavarayan, vice president, Global Operations and Supply Chain.
Patrick Gibson with honored with the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award for Manufacturing Engineering. Gibson, senior director, Industrialization and Operations Strategy at Meritor’s Troy, MI, headquarters, earned the award for several major accomplishments during 27 years of distinguished leadership, including:
- Leading launch teams that opened Meritor facilities in Forest City, N.C., United States, and Cienega, Mexico
- Leading the Truck division’s strategy for manufacturing development and major capital reinvestment projects
- Assisting in the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicle program launch
“Patrick’s discipline and long-term manufacturing focus have been instrumental in advancing Meritor’s global operations footprint,” said Villavarayan. “He frequently plays a vital role in developing manufacturing strategy, capital reinvestment projects and leading launch teams at various Meritor locations.”
João Roberto Alboledo was awarded Meritor’s 2012 Lifetime Engineering Achievement Award for Manufacturing Engineering.
Alboledo, a manufacturing specialist for Meritor Brazil, earned the award for his distinguished contributions to the development and implementation of Meritor’s precision forging process.
Alboledo developed and implemented precision forging at Meritor’s Osasco, Brazil facility, where he led all precision forging process modernization projects, which resulted in multiple efficiency and productivity improvements. In addition to mentoring colleagues on various manufacturing techniques, Alboledo also led the 5S improvement methodology in Osasco.
“João has worked in operations for more than 50 years and has had a keen focus on process quality,” said Villavarayan. “He executes his job responsibilities using these principles and serves as a role model for others.”
George Choike was awarded the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award for Product Engineering. Choike, senior product specialist at Troy, MI, headquarters, received the award for his consistent dedication and contributions to axle engineering, Meritor said. Choike’s major accomplishments since joining Meritor nearly 48 years ago include:
- Assisting in the development of communication and word drawing systems
- Developing rear-drive and non-drive front axle application guidelines, allowing customers to safely apply products on their own
- Serving as a customer contact for several key original equipment manufacturers for axle and driveline activities
“George has contributed to countless major product engineering achievements since he started at Meritor as a draftsman nearly five decades ago,” said Joe Elbehairy, vice president, Engineering and Quality, Meritor. “He has earned unparalleled trust as an axle and driveline expert and continues to hold the highest regard from our customers due to his extensive product knowledge.”
Finally, Meritor recognized Adam Sadlik as its 2012 Product Engineer of the Year Award. Sadlik is Meritor’s lead project engineer for the ProTec High Mobility Independent Suspension, which is integrated into the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program. Through his innovative engineering expertise, Sadlik helped design the suspension to exceed customer targets for weight. Meeting a tight deadline, Sadlik also played a lead role in designing and developing a new steering system for the JLTV program.
To support Meritor’s involvement in the High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) program, Sadlik led vehicle integration of the ProTec suspension on the first HMMWV, more commonly known as Humvee, driven at the 2012 Nevada Automotive Test Center Rodeo. Another major accomplishment was assisting in analyzing data used to revise load cases for military vehicles.
