Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has honoured NGK with the group’s Collaboration Award 2015, the latest in a long line of accolades the vehicle manufacturer has given the ignition specialist.
The award was granted in recognition of NGK’s technological expertise and its high level of customer service.
NGK – a leading manufacturer of spark plugs, glow plugs and NTK Lambda sensors – has been one of FCA’s most important development partners for many years, supplying more spark plugs and sensors than any rival manufacturer.
According to the vehicle manufacturer, the Collaboration Award for 2015 was handed to NGK to acknowledge the company’s “excellent product technology” and the “high level of collaboration in every step of business development”, which was evident, for example, in the recent technical development of the GME T4 engine.
Though consulted at a late stage in the process and despite a limited time span prior to the engine’s commercial launch, NGK was able to meet all challenges and to design and supply the ideal spark plugs for the GME T4 on schedule.
Marko Wowczyna, Automotive Director, NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Ltd, said: “As a company we have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Fiat and FCA and we are delighted to receive this award which is testament to the technical excellence of our products and the hard work and application of our staff.”
The Collaboration Award is the most recent in a series of awards achieved by NGK during many years of co-operation with Fiat and FCA.
The relationship between the two companies dates back to the early 1990s, when Alfa Romeo used NGK spark plugs in series production. Fiat did the same in 1994, using an NGK spark plug as exclusive original equipment (OE) in the Barchetta.
NTK Lambda sensors and knocking sensors followed and in 2006 Fiat used NGK glow plugs for the first time. Fiat recently for the first time installed NGK ceramic glow plugs in one of the group’s engines; the NHTC2 glow plug is exclusive OE in the new 2.2-litre Multi-Jet II Common Rail engine which powers the Jeep Cherokee Limited.
During more than 25 years of co-operation, NGK won FIAT’s ‘Auto Qualitas Award’ in 1996 and 1999 for spark plugs, and in 2001 and 2002 for sensors.
While in 2007, the company received the ‘Fiat Golden Quality Award’ for its sensors and glowing system and in 2013, the EMEA division of MOPAR, the official Fiat-Chrysler brand for services, customer care, original parts and accessories, named NGK ‘Parts and Service Supplier of the Year’.
