MMC Magazine

At the award ceremony held in Herzogenaurach in May 2023
(From the left) MC of the ceremony, Claus Rosenfeld (CEO, Schaeffler AG), Tetsuo Yamazumi (President, MMC Hartmetall GmbH), Patrick Peter (Manager in charge of the Schaeffler Group account for MMC Hartmetall GmbH), and Georg F.W. Schaeffler (Head of the Schaeffler AG Supervisory Board)

Awards achieved by building trust
Closer relationships with leading global suppliers

Interviews with two representatives of Mitsubishi Materials overseas affiliate MMC Hartmetall GmbH about their award.

Mitsubishi Materials received an award at the Supplier Day Awards in 2023, for being an outstanding partner and supplier to the global automotive and industrial manufacturer, the Schaeffler Group. The Group has more than 80,000 employees working at 200 bases in 50 countries. Mitsubishi Materials was the only Japanese company to be recognized in 2023, and the first Japanese tool manufacturer to receive the award. Among a wide range of categories, including innovation, sustainability, and cost-performance, MMC Hartmetall GmbH received an award in the quality category.
Patrick Peter said, “I am delighted to receive this prestigious award, which marks the 15th anniversary of my appointment as Schaeffler Group Manager in 2008. This time we won the award in the quality category, but it is by no means just about the product. We have specific numerical targets and evaluation criteria for work efficiency, on-time delivery rates and support systems, which our teams have worked together to achieve over the past few years, and I am proud of the achievements the team has made.”

Tetsuo Yamazumi, President of MMC Hartmetall, says he was more than happy when a representative of the Schaeffler Group told him, ‘We have confidence in your company. I hope we can share this feeling of pride with everyone we have worked with,’ he said, reflecting on the award ceremony. The Schaeffler Group is expanding its business not only in Europe but also in other parts of the world. We would like to use this award as an opportunity to build deeper relationships over a wider range of regions,’ said Yamazumi, who also has high hopes for future global expansion.

Conditions required for partnership

As a leading global supplier of bearings and other parts for automobiles and industrial machinery, the Schaeffler Group considers partner company relationships and trust as a very important function in global supply chains, which have encountered a wide range of issues. Partner relationships and trust are extremely important in ensuring improved processing efficiency and achieving numerical targets for economic efficiency. To achieve these targets, high-quality products supplied from Japan play an important role. Patrick Peter said, “I deeply appreciate Japanese engineers and also anticipate even greater quality improvement.” The high evaluation given by the Schaeffler Group is shared by partner companies around the world, and it will have a significant influence on the global framework for delivering new solutions.