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Team 1 Plastics Announces New Customer MAHLE

Team 1 Plastics, a plastic injection molding company for the automotive industry, values the partnership it has with all of its customers and is pleased to announce that MAHLE, an international supplier of automotive engine components, has recently joined that list.

MAHLE’s headquarters is in Stuttgart, Germany, with locations on five continents. According to its website, it has “… 170 production locations and 15 major research and development centers.” The company employs 76,000 people, and “half of all automobiles produced worldwide contain MAHLE components.”

“MAHLE is one of the best and largest Tier one automotive suppliers in the world,” said Dave Biondo, Team 1 Plastics’ Sales Development Manager. “Its name is widely respected in the industry; and the people we have had the pleasure to work with have been excellent and demand nothing but the highest performance standards from their suppliers.”

Biondo described Team 1’s process from meeting with MAHLE for the first time to receiving its first job. “Each new customer development process is different, no two are alike. For some new customers, we have gone from introductory meeting, to RFQ (Request for Quotation), to winning business within a year’s period. The process with MAHLE was much longer.” Biondo then noted some of the milestones:

• April 2012 – Introductory meeting with Wes Pierce, Commodity Manager
• May 2012 – Wes Pierce visited Team 1 Plastics for a plant tour. Team 1 Plastics was added to MAHLE’s new supplier “Investigation” list
• June 2012 – Team 1 Plastics received its first RFQ from MAHLE
• July 2015 – Cynthia Hammer, Purchasing Manager, and Alex Blake, Commodity Manager, visited Team 1 Plastics
• June 2016 – Team 1 Plastics awarded first job for MAHLE
• August 2016 – Team 1 Plastics received a passing grade from VDA 6.3 audit conducted by MAHLE

“MAHLE, like any other customer, has certain things they do differently than other companies. We have had to adapt some quality and PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) procedures to comply with their requirements,” Biondo said, but initial feedback from MAHLE has been favorable. “Parts for builds have been well received, and MAHLE is very pleased we have met all critical build dates. I would consider our first job with MAHLE to be a success.” Biondo then added, “We are on their regular bid list and continue to receive a steady stream of quotes. We have gone through the learning curve to understand MAHLE’s requirements and processes, which should make future jobs even more successful.”

And Biondo is optimistic about Team 1 Plastics and MAHLE’s future partnership. “We expect to win additional work if we continue to perform at a high level. It’s all about performance. I really look forward to the opportunity and challenge of growing our business with this excellent company. Their large scale and global footprint should present many growth opportunities for Team 1 Plastics.”