Awards
Caterpillar BCP Tier IV Small Wheel Loader Team Names Centro North Carolina 2010 Supplier of the Year
Centro Incorporated’s North Carolina Division was selected as Supplier of the Year by the Caterpillar BCP Tier IV Small Wheel Loader Team for their continued support during the design and development of the SWL fuel tank.
Earlier this year, Centro received the Rhino Award from the SWL Team for great collaboration and communication during the design and development of the SWL fuel tank and their commitment to meeting timelines.
After reviewing all recipients of the Rhino award, the SWL Team selected Centro North Carolina as the Supplier of the Year.
Centro, Incorporated - John Deere Supplier Hall of Fame
Centro, Inc. has been named to John Deere's Achieving Excellence Hall of Fame. Centro's facilities in North Liberty, IA and Horicon, WI, received this prestigious award for their work with J.D. Harvester Works and J.D. Horicon Works.
The John Deere Achieving Excellence Hall of Fame is reserved for suppliers who have performed at Partner Level for five consecutive years. Partner Level is Deere's highest rating for supplier performance. This rating requires the highest level of performance in key areas; quality, delivery, cost management, technical support and wavelength.
Deere & Company has over 1,000 suppliers, 21 of which were named to the Hall of Fame for 2006. Centro is proud to have received two of these inductions. Centro representatives received this award at the John Deere Achieving Excellence Banquet held in Moline, IL on February 20th, 2007.
Centro, Inc. Named 2003 Supplier of the Year for John Deere Worldwide Agricultural Equipment Division
NORTH LIBERTY, IOWA – Centro, Inc. was named Supplier of the Year for the John Deere Agricultural Division – Global Tractors and Implements in the John Deere Achieving Excellence Program, and also has earned recognition as a Partner-level supplier for 2003 in both their Iowa and Wisconsin locations. The Partner-level status is Deere & Company’s highest supplier rating. The North Liberty-based company was selected for the honors in recognition of its dedication to providing products and service of outstanding quality as well as its commitment to continuous improvement. Company employees accepted the recognition during formal ceremonies held on February 17th, 2004, in Moline, IL.
Suppliers who participate in the John Deere Achieving Excellence program are evaluated annually in several key performance categories, including quality, cost management, delivery, technical support and wavelength, which is a measure of responsiveness. John Deere Supply Management created the program in 1991 to provide a supplier evaluation and feedback process that promotes continuous improvement.
Centro, Inc. has been doing business with John Deere since 1970 and today is a supplier of rotationally molded products such as fuel tank assemblies, corn head dividers, grass collection systems, and air ducts to eighteen different John Deere locations. Centro is a recognized leader in the rotational molding industry, having received numerous awards and rankings.
Recognition from Deere & Company
2006 John Deere Achieving Excellence Hall of Fame - JD Harvester Works
2006 John Deere Achieving Excellence Hall of Fame - JD Horicon Works
2003 John Deere Seeding Group Supplier of the Year
1998 John Deere Waterloo Works Supplier of the Year
1997 John Deere Harvester Works Supplier of the Year
2002 National Plastic Industry Association Award for John Deere 5000 Twenty Series Agriculture Tractor Roof
Plastics Engineering Magazine (2002):
The winner of the
2002 Industrial Plastics Product Design Award, given in honor of Glenn L. Beall, is a rotationally molded roof for the new integrated cab of a John Deere agricultural tractor (5000 Twenty Series). The manufacturer is
Centro, Inc. of North Liberty, Iowa; the toolmaker is Wheeler-Boyce of Stow, Ohio; the resin supplier is ExxonMobil Chemical. Agricultural vehicles typically have HVAC components mounted into an A/C housing, which is then mounted to the roof. This design uses the rotationally molded roof as the A/C housing in which the HVAC components are installed. The new roof design is a fully recyclable part containing eight cored features and 63 molded-in inserts, which are possible only because of the development and use of an advanced process by the molder. Made of a composite LLDPE skin with LLDPE foamed inner walls, the multifunctional design includes molded-in ductwork that eliminates seals and mounting hardware; the molded-in foam layer provides the function of thermal and sound insulation, thereby improving the operator's working environment.
The Centro/Deere roof also took top honors at the
2002 Association of Rotational Molders (ARM) annual international meeting where it won the Innovative State-of-the-Art Award and the Product-of-the-Year Award.
As in the past, the National Plastics Center & Museum will display the photos and write-ups of all the 2002 Society of Plastics Engineers winners throughout the next year in its Leominster, Massachusetts facility.
1998 Society of Plastics Engineers - "Best of Show" Hollow Parts Award for John Deere Harvester
1994 Plastics News, Structural Plastics Division Conference
New Product Design
Agriculture/Lawn & Garden - Rotationally molded points, covers, and fenders for a 20,000 pound John Deere Harvester Combine for corn won this category. Molded by Centro, Inc., North Liberty, Iowa, using tooling made by Lakeland Mold Co. of Brainerd, Minn., the seven polyethylene parts replaced more than 70 steel parts, which tend to bend and rust. Initially, John Deere planned to use the rotomolding process to make only prototype parts, but the resulting components were so impressive that it adopted the process for the production of parts, which offers consistent wall thickness, seamless construction, and Deere's distinctive green color molded-in.