SOUTHFIELD, MI — General Motors (GM) recognized BASF’s Coatings division as an Overdrive Award winner as part of its 30^th annual Supplier of the Year awards ceremony, held recently in Phoenix, Arizona. BASF was one of 31 companies to earn an Overdrive Award for 2021.

First presented in 2012, the Overdrive Award is a distinction reserved for suppliers who display outstanding achievement across the Global Purchasing and Supply Chain organization’s key priorities. These include sustainability, innovation, relationships, total enterprise cost, launch excellence and safety.

BASF was honored for an innovative, brand-new clearcoat formulation to address concerns GM had about the appearance of certain Cadillac models in its Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant. After trials in early 2021, the appearance improvement was immediately noticeable in the plant. The new formula also avoided the potential of having to spray each car with clearcoat twice.

“Appearance matters. We make our customer’s vehicles look great in a sustainable way,” said Jeff Jones, BASF Vice President, Global Key Account Management. “We are constantly evolving and innovating to meet our customers’ needs so we can continue as their supplier of choice.”

“This year’s Supplier of the Year event was special not only because it’s the 30^th anniversary of the program, but because it provided us with the opportunity to recognize our suppliers for persevering through one of the most challenging years the industry has ever faced,” said Shilpan Amin, GM Vice President, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. “These top suppliers showed resilience and reinforced their commitment to pursuing sustainability and innovation. Through our strong relationships and collaboration, GM and our suppliers are poised to build a brighter future for generations to come.”

A global cross functional team selected the 2021 Supplier of the Year and Overdrive Award winners based on performance criteria in Product Purchasing, Global Purchasing and Manufacturing Services, Customer Care and Aftersales and Logistics.

Additional information is available at www.basf-coatings.com, www.basf.com and www.gm.com.