Mitas earns Deere ‘partner-level’ status

Zweibruecken, Germany – Czech tire maker Mitas AS has earned “partner-level supplier” status with tractor maker Deere & Co. for 2015, the fifth such honour since 2004.

Partner-level status is Deere’s highest supplier rating, according to Prague, Czech Republic-based Mitas, which said it was selected for its “dedication to providing products and service of outstanding quality as well as its commitment to continuous improvement.”

Deere presented Mitas with the award at a John Deere Achieving Excellence Program ceremony in April at its Zweibruecken factory.

Mitas supplies radial agricultural tires to John Deere factories in Mannheim and Zweibruecken, Germany; Domodedovo, Russia; Waterloo, Iowa; Augusta, Ga.; and Saltillo, Mexico.

“The partner-level award from John Deere is an important acknowledgment of the quality of Mitas tires and moreover the service beyond the product provided by the Mitas team,” said Lutz Rose, Mitas’ key account manager for John Deere.

Suppliers that participate in the Achieving Excellence program are evaluated annually in several key performance categories, including quality, cost management, delivery, technical support and wavelength, which is a measure of responsiveness, Mitas said.

John Deere Supply Management created the program in 1991 to provide a supplier evaluation and feedback process that promotes continuous improvement.

Mitas is part of ?GS Holding, which is being acquired by Sweden’s Trelleborg AB.