Volkswagen Group honours 10 outstanding suppliers, strengthens strategic collaboration

Earlier this month, Volkswagen AG welcomed around 120 key suppliers to the Autostadt in Wolfsburg for a Supplier Management Conference where it recognized a number of its global suppliers for outstanding performance and long-term collaboration within the supplier network over the past year.

Before the ceremony, the event, held under the motto ‘Mission: Possible’, focused on upcoming sourcing projects and new cooperation models designed to further improve transparency and strengthen collaboration in an increasingly complex environment.

Collaboration within the supply chain is a strategic priority, connecting the Volkswagen Group with external expertise in development, operations, and innovation. Long-term cooperations drive efficiency and improve resilience in a complex environment. Global scale is combined with local flexibility and creates an industrial ecosystem designed to meet a wide range of customer and market requirements.

“The coming years will bring both challenges and significant opportunities for the Volkswagen Group and for our partners. The Volkswagen Group Award highlights our focus on operational excellence, strategic alignment across the supplier network and commitment to performance-driven, future-ready partnerships,” says Dirk Große-Loheide, Member of the Extended Executive Committee and Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for Procurement. “With more than 30 models planned in 2025 alone, across regions, brands, platforms, and technologies, we will continue to rely on close collaboration. We are proud to recognize and thank those partners whose contributions are vital to our shared success,” he added.

Volkswagen Group Award 2025 across 10 categories
Underlining the importance of strong collaboration, the Group recognized outstanding supplier performance across 10 strategic categories. The award categories reflect the priorities of the Procurement Strategy, which remains the guiding framework and supports the Group’s performance program. Honoured contributions include effective risk management systems, rapid solutions deployment, strategic support in global projects, or the transition to electrified product lines. Awards were presented to the following partners:

The ‘Product’ category award went to Magna International Inc for rapid joint development and industrialization of a complex battery cover solution.

The ‘Operational Excellence’ award was presented to Texas Instruments for resilient semiconductor supply strategies as well as forward-looking investments in production capabilities.

In the ‘Transformation’ category, Astemo Ltd received recognition for its transformation from a supplier for combustion engines toward electromobility.

The ‘People & Organization’ award went to Gestamp Automoción for its long-standing commitment as a trusted partner with strong strategic alignment across key regions.

In the ‘Costs’ category, the Volkswagen Group honoured the company Huizhou Desay SV Automotive Co for exceptional performance in vehicle display systems and cost-effective, reliable support across multiple brands.

The ‘Local Hero’ award recognized Quality Plated Plastics for rapid recovery and reliability following a production-disrupting fire, ensuring uninterrupted supply.

In the category ‘Resilient Supply Chains’, Aptiv was recognized for advancing supply chain resilience through advanced risk management systems.

In the ‘Brands & Regions’ category, Vodafone Group was honoured for seamlessly integrating regional strategies into global operations, enabling consistent communication and cooperation across borders.

In the field of ‘Sustainability’, Steel Dynamics was recognized for its proactive sustainability efforts, including low-carbon steel production and circular economy practices.

Finally, in the ‘Supplier Management’ category, Valeo was recognized for strategic partnership, innovation in sensor technology, and proactive cost and process optimization.