RESULTS MOST IMPORTANT

Although he says Planning Perspectives Inc. does a “good job” with its annual North American Tier 1 supplier survey, Chrysler Group's supplier quality guru says good results from parts makers, not good relations, are what's most important.

“Relationships are good when results are good, and relationships are not so good when results are not so good. This town is fixated on relationships, and in my mind this town needs to be focused on results,” Steve Walukas tells Ward's when questioned about Chrysler's poor showing in the recently released 2003 OEM-Supplier Working Relations Index survey by Planning Perspectives.

“And yeah, I want to have good relationships with media, with the supply base, with dealers, with the people that sit next to me, with my neighbors,” he adds. “But I don't know how many more points of market share we're going to want to lose until we start realizing it's all about performance, it's all about giving the customers what they want.”

Walukas, vice president-supplier quality and product team program management procurement and supply, is especially dismayed that Chrysler's worst ranking came from interior suppliers. He says recent upheavals in that sector of the supply base are to blame, as the auto maker has dropped some long-time suppliers in favor of new ones offering lower prices.