Area Development
Toyota Motor Corporation has the best working relationship with its suppliers and Chrysler LLC has the worst, according to a survey by an auto industry consulting firm. The Working Relations Study conducted by Planning Perspectives, Inc. of Birmingham, Michigan, surveyed 284 top-tier parts suppliers, who ranked the automakers on degree of trust, open and honest communication, amount of help given to suppliers to reduce costs, and supplier profit opportunities. According to the results, while Toyota tops the list, its rankings and those of third-place Nissan Motor Corporation have both dropped significantly from last year's survey, with suppliers' satisfaction with Toyota down 11.6 percent and Nissan down 12.5 percent. Second-place Honda Motor Corporation was down 5.5 percent. Ford Motor Company, in fourth place, saw a dramatic improvement over last year, with a 17.9 percent increase in supplier satisfaction. Sixth-place Chrysler was down 19.1 percent and fifth-place General Motors was down 6.3 percent. "In the years we've been conducting this study, we've never seen such dramatic year-over-year shifts in the rankings of the six domestic and foreign domestic automakers," says John W. Henke Jr., president and CEO of Planning Perspectives.