Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc. (TIEM), the Indiana-based plant responsible for manufacturing the majority of Toyota's lift trucks sold in North America, announces the winners of its annual Supplier of the Year Award. TIEM recognized several suppliers for their contribution to exceeding high standards of excellence in the areas of Safety, Environment, Quality, Cost and Delivery during the company's annual Supplier Conference and Awards program.

[Photo caption] Tire and wheel supplier Camoplast Solideal was honored with a 2012 Toyota Safety, Environment, Quality, Cost and Delivery (SEQCD) Award from Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc.(TIEM). From the left: Tom Hashimoto, Senior Manager of Purchasing, TSDR & IT, TIEM; Toshiya Yamagishi, President and Chief Executive Officer, TIEM; Ted Vanke, OE Accounts Director, Camoplast Solideal; Dan Griffin, Product Support Engineer, Camoplast Solideal; David Shippee, OE Sales Director-Americas, Camoplast Solideal; and Tom DePalma, Vice President of Quality Assurance, Purchasing and IT, TIEM.

"The ability to provide the highest quality forklifts to our customers while maintaining exceptional service is heavily dependent on the performance of our suppliers," said Tom DePalma, vice president of Quality, Purchasing and IT for TIEM. "This award reflects both our suppliers' commitment to excellence, as well as our appreciation for their hard work and dedication. We are pleased to have these suppliers among this year's winners."

Suppliers are evaluated based on their safety performance, environmental impact, parts quality rating, ability to meet cost reduction targets, and on-time delivery performance. All points are awarded based on a corresponding scale for the fiscal year.

This year, eight winners earned the coveted award, from more than 360 suppliers used by TIEM.

This year's winners are:

Aisin Drivetrain, Inc. - Crothersville, Ind.
Camoplast Solideal - Magog, Quebec, Canada
Champion Graphics - Cincinnati, Ohio
ECCO Group - Boise, Id.
KYB Americas Corporation - Addison, Ill.
Pentzer Printing - Columbus, Ind.
Toyoshima Special Steel - Indianapolis, Ind.
Wayne Metals - Markle, Ind.
About Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc.

Celebrating more than 45 years in business in North America, TMHU is the supplier of Toyota lift trucks, the No. 1 selling brand since 2002. In addition to the full line of high-quality lift trucks, the company's extended industrial equipment solutions include Automated Guided Vehicles and tow tractors.

Quality is the hallmark of the Toyota Production System practiced at all Toyota manufacturing facilities, including TIEM, a zero-landfill facility in Columbus, Ind. TIEM, named a 2011 North American Best Plant by IndustryWeek magazine, is a member of the National Safety Council, complies with the ISO 14001 standard from the International Organization for Standardization and has produced more than 400,000 Toyota lift trucks since its opening in 1990.

Toyota's commitment to excellence in customer service extends throughout the U.S. and Canada. With more than 70 authorized Toyota Industrial Equipment dealers and more than 220 dealership locations throughout North America, Toyota dealers offer comprehensive customer service and support, including one stop shopping for both new and used lift trucks, rentals, parts and service, fleet servicing and financing.