India’s Harsha Engineers and Ravi Technoforge among top 23 to win Schaeffler Supplier Award 

The latest automotive supplier to announce its supplier awards is global motion technology company Schaeffler. On Jun 10, the German company recognized 23 suppliers for outstanding performance with the Schaeffler Supplier Award at this year’s Supplier Day in Herzogenaurach.

In front of 450 guests, Georg F W Schaeffler, family shareholder and chairman of Schaeffler AG, and Klaus Rosenfeld, Chief Executive Officer of Schaeffler AG, presented the awards in the five categories of Innovation, Sustainability, Value, Quality, and Supply Chain. 

Andreas Schick, Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for Production, Supply Chain Management and Purchasing at Schaeffler AG, said, “Schaeffler has always stood for a close-knit network in a spirit of partnership with its suppliers. Especially in view of the current global challenges, these relations prove themselves as a basis for long-term business success.” 

Schaeffler manufactures high-precision components and systems for drivetrain and chassis applications as well as rolling and plain bearing solutions for a large number of industrial applications. In CY2023, the Schaeffler Group generated sales of 16.3 billion euros (Rs 143,244 crore) in 2023. With around 83,400 employees, Schaeffler is one of the world’s largest family-owned companies and one of Germany’s most innovative companies.

Focus on digitisation in supply chains
This year, the Schaeffler Supplier Day specifically targeted the key strategic topic of digitisation in the supply chains. Andreas Schick said: “Disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence will transform global value chains. By using these technologies, we create sustainable, efficient, and digital processes that enable us to grow together and make a difference - true to the motto of the event 'Together we make the difference'.’”

Andreas Schick, Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for Production, Supply Chain Management and Purchasing at Schaeffler AG, in his keynote emphasised the digitisation potential for value chains.

In the ‘Innovation’ category, the importance of digital opportunities became evident: There, Schaeffler recognised the integration of generative, AI-supported assistants in production machines, among other things.

The ‘Sustainability’ category saw Schaeffler honour suppliers that consistently pursue the corporate goal of climate neutrality, for instance by improving green electricity and recycling rates or by efficient utilisation of raw materials.

In the ‘Supply Chain’ category, the Schaeffler Supplier Award went to suppliers that impressed with maximum on-time deliveries and particularly resilient supply chains.

The awards in the ‘Quality’ category recognise exceptional performance in the areas of product and manufacturing excellence.

With awards in the ‘Value’ category, Schaeffler honours strong supplier relations of global significance to the competitiveness of the Motion Technology Company. 

Made-in-India components by Harsha Engineers and Ravi Technoforge
In what is yet another growing recognition of the global standard of made-in-India automotive components, two Indian suppliers have bagged the 2024 Schaeffler Supplier Award for outstanding performance.

Ahmedabad-based Harsha Engineers International is the largest manufacturer of precision bearing cages in the organised sector in India in terms of capacity and operations and amongst the leading manufacturers of precision bearing cages in the world with a market share of around 5% to 6% in the organised segment of the global brass, steel, and polyamide bearing cages in terms of revenue.

Harsha Engineers, which is amongst the leading manufacturers of precision bearing cages in the world, has won the award in the Sustainability Category.

The company’s principal production facilities are at Changodar and Moraiya, near Ahmedabad in Gujarat in India. It also has a production facility through a subsidiary in Changshu, China and a stepdown subsidiary in Ghimbav Brasov in Romania. Harsha Engineers, as per information on its website, has a total of 1,775 employees, of whom approximately 1,686 employees are skilled and technically qualified employees. The company which went in for an IPO last was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange in September 2023.

Ring manufacturer Ravi Technoforge wins this year in the Value Category., the second year in a row that it has bagged the Schaeffler Supplier Award

Rajkot-based Ravi Technoforge is one of the largest ring manufacturers in India and produces rings (high precision forged and turned rings bearing rings) in the 40 mm to 400 mm range. The company has three plants: the main manufacturing plant is in Pipaliya, Rajkot where all processes from forging through to packing are carried out. The other two facilities in Shapar, Rajkot is where machining and packing is done. 

This is the second year in a row that Ravi Technoforge has bagged the Schaeffler Supplier Award. In 2023, the company, along with the Mumbai-based Delux Bearings and Gujarat-based NHB Ball & Roller has won the German company’s excellence award. 

WINNERS OF THE SCHAEFFLER SUPPLIER AWARD 2024
Innovation Category
GKN, United Kingdom
Dematic, Germany
Sinoma Advanced Nitride Ceramics, China
Siemens, Germany

Sustainability Category
Anton Haring, Germany
STI Gustav Stabernack, Germany
Harsha Engineers International, India
Zeller+Gmelin, Germany

Supply Chain Category
Shibaura Electronics, Japan
ITCL, Germany
Luoyang Luoling Bearing, China
A. P. Moller-Mærsk, Denmark

Quality Category
Joint Award: S&S, South Korea; Erkert, Germany; POSCO, USA
SNH, China
Quzhou JW Machinery, China
Iscar, Israel

Value Category
Melecs, Austria
QI Automotive, China
Ravi Technoforge, India
Hofmann, Germany

Kategorie Special Award
KLS Ljubno, Slovenia 

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