Arconic Laval Operations earned recognition from Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) as its Best Supplier of the Year for 2018 from among a global list of 88 suppliers. KHI executives cited Laval’s excellent on-time delivery and product quality on its aircraft seat track and panel support programs, as well as the team’s consistently high performance on numerous KHI programs over the past 10 years. “The award honors all of our team members who contribute to the seat track and panel programs,” said Arconic Laval General Manager Louis Marc Pinard. “Our vertical supply chain— which includes several Arconic Engineered Structure (AES) operations—is a true product differentiator that makes us more competitive.”

The teamwork among Pinard and the AES operations team, Customer Service Manager Antonio Carreira, and Country Manager Eiji Iida in Japan, has positioned Arconic Laval as a valued supplier of seat tracks and panel supports to KHI. “Iida has been instrumental in building a ground-up relationship with KHI senior managers and engineering staff in developing this important longterm partnership,” said Pinard.