By: T.J. Hug
The Village Reporter
It is the hope of virtually everyone that they be distinguished for the work that they do. For some, it is a driving force, motivating them to be at their very best at all times. For others, it’s just nice to know that the passion they put into their jobs is recognized and appreciated by someone. Regardless of which reason one enjoys being honored, a feeling of personal pride is felt when that time comes.
And it has recently come for the employees of the Montpelier branch of C.K. Technologies.
The local company has recently been the recipient of the Diamond Suppliers Award, a distinction handed out by C.K. customer Navistar, an international corporation responsible for producing both commercial and military trucks, as well as commercial and school buses.
So who exactly was recognized from C.K. by Navistar?
“It’s a company-wide award.” Mike Aiello, Account Manager for C.K. Technologies proclaimed. “It’s a comprehensive award for C.K. Technologies.”
Indeed, the Diamond Suppliers’ Award recognizes its winners at every level of employment. Whether one works on a production line, program team, or in the shipping department, Navistar expresses their appreciation for everyone within the companies in which they hand out the honor.
“It just recognizes the efforts that our people make everyday.”
Of course, quality control is also given credit for the work they do. There isn’t a person on this Earth capable of not making a mistake. Yet it is the job of the quality team at C.K. to ensure that the rest of the company appears infallible to their customers, such as Navistar.
“Our quality people make sure their parts are good.”
This is what stuck out the most to Navistar as they evaluated who was deserving of their award.
“Our products are only as good as the parts we use to build them. We expect every one of our products to have exceptional quality and up-time, and the twenty-six suppliers receiving this award have set the bar for that level of performance,” according to Phil Christman, who serves as Navistar’s Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer.
That’s twenty-six suppliers out of more than 1,200 companies from which the truck-making corporation had to choose. As each and every one of those companies works with Navistar in some way, shape ,or form, those particular twenty-six selected should consider the distinction a special one.
C.K.’s Account Manager is certainly appreciative.
“It’s just a wonderful thing that Navistar does.” Expressed Aiello.
And it’s something they hadn’t done in five years. The Diamond Suppliers Award used to be a yearly honor bestowed upon Navistar’s top suppliers. However, changes in the company halted in 2009. Now, it is just being revitalized, and C.K. Technologies is amongst the first to receive the resurrected award.
There are those who would claim that similarities in the goals of the two corporations are what made C.K. a natural choice for Navistar.
“C.K. Technologies and Navistar share the same vision of collectively improving performance in the commercial truck and bus market, and we are driven to find new ways to benefit both the customer and environment,” said Christina Keller, president of C.K. Technologies. “We are honored to be selected as Navistar’s Diamond Supplier and look forward to continuing our partnership for years ahead.”
With such a rigorous commitment to quality by each business, that partnership should continue to be a fruitful one for years to come.
T.J. Hug can be reached at
publisher@thevillagereporter.com