TRAVERSE CITY, MI, August 13-Joe Hinrichs, Ford Motor Co.’s group vice president for global manufacturing and labor affairs, has received the Shien-Ming Wu Award for his dedication to manufacturing excellence from the Shien-Ming Wu Foundation.

Established in 1999, the global award annually recognizes an automotive executive who has “made a profound impact on the manufacturing industry and serves as a role model for future leaders in terms of vision, strategic thinking, courage and the ability to build a winning organization.”

Hinrichs is responsible for the operation of 105 assemblies, stamping and powertrain plants worldwide and also has responsibility for labor affairs, material planning and logistics and the company’s manufacturing business office. In addition he is responsible for Automotive Components Holdings, the Ford-managed temporary holding business comprised of former Visteon plants and facilities in the United States and Mexico.

“No one is more deserving of this award for leadership in achieving manufacturing excellence within our global industry than Joe Hinrichs,” says Dwight Carlson, a member of the Shien-Ming Wu Foundation board of directors and presenter of the award. “During these challenging times, we need leaders like Joe Hinrichs to rescue our industry from the onslaught of fierce global competition.”

Ford’s initial quality has improved dramatically during the last two years, with Ford now statistically equal to Toyota and Honda, according to RDA Group Research. Furthermore, Ford’s long-term durability has been improving during the last five years.