The News Wheel
No Comments

Ford Salutes Women Business Enterprise Companies For NWHM

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page

Ford Motor Company Salutes Women Business Enterprises

To help celebrate National Women’s History Month, Ford has announced that it increased sourcing with Women Business Enterprise companies 50 percent last year. In 2013, Ford purchased $1.8 billion in goods and services from tier-one, women-owned suppliers, which is an impressive figure that demonstrates completely the automaker’s commitment to equal opportunity.

“For 36 years, Ford has been committed to working with a supply base that is both diverse and innovative,” said Birgit Behrendt, vice president, Ford global programs and purchasing operations, in a press release. “Our women-owned suppliers bring an evolving perspective to the needs and wants of our customer base, which inevitably contributes to Ford’s continuous growth.”

Back in 1978, Ford established the Supplier Diversity Development program, which seeks to empower women, minorities, and veterans among others by breeding diversity throughout the company’s supply chain. Currently, Ford works with more than 150 women-owner suppliers and has done business with seven such companies for the better part of a quarter-century.

The Ford Supplier Diversity Development program has invested more than $70 billion into empowering women, minority, and veteran suppliers over the last 35 years. Moving forward, Ford’s goal is for 10 percent of its annual $100 billion global purchasing budget to come from a more diverse array of production/nonproduction suppliers. Ford’s 2013 dealings with Women Business Enterprise companies currently make up about two percent of that figure.

Last week, in celebration of International Women’s Day, Ford spotlighted four of the women integrally involved in the production of the Mustang.