Behr Iron and Steel Wins John Deere Supplier Award

Behr Iron and Steel, Rockford, Ill., has received the 2010 Supplier of the Year Award for indirect materials from the Construction and Forestry Division of John Deere. In an announcement, Behr says that it was the only divisional recipient of the award out of more than 1,000 indirect materials suppliers to the Construction and Forestry Division.

Behr says that the award comes as a result of the company’s work in partnering with Deere’s Construction and Forestry Division to develop and implement new scrap management processes to improve scrap revenues, service and safety, as well as helping meet increasingly stringent environmental standards at John Deere manufacturing facilities in Dubuque and Davenport, Iowa.

In recognizing Behr, John Deere cited a number of achievements, including Behr’s highest ‘partner’ classification in John Deere’s ‘Achieving Excellence” system of rating suppliers, and a grade of 100 percent in quality, delivery, technical support, wavelength and cost management categories for both 2009 and 2010. Deere also noted that Behr’s participation in the John Deere Cost Reduction Opportunities Process resulted in cost savings of $150,000 in 2010.

Behr has been working with John Deere’s Construction and Forestry Division since 1987.

According to William Bremner, Behr’s president, John Deere’s global growth, market leadership and relentless pursuit of excellence have increasingly created opportunities for implementing the ‘high performance’ scrap management systems that Behr is known for. “John Deere challenges its suppliers to continuously improve, meet challenges on the fly and add value,” says Bremner. “It’s also keen on reducing its costs and environmental footprint. This very prestigious award is proof that our partnership with Deere is producing significant results in all of these categories.”