(April 9th, 2019) For a second year in a row, STRATTEC has been honored with a PACE Award! This year STRATTEC was recognized for the Invis-A-Rise™ Power Tailgate System which was introduced on the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck.
Winning the PACE award one time as a supplier is a huge accomplishment, but winning two years in a row puts STRATTEC in a very elite group of only 8 other companies to have won at least back-to-back years within the last five years. Over the last five years there have been 69 winners from 39 countries, with the only other suppliers to achieve at least back-to-back wins being “Mega-Suppliers” such as Borg-Warner, Continental, Delphi/Aptiv. FederalMogul, FTE, GKN, Magna and Valeo. The PACE Award – the Premier Automotive Suppliers’ Contribution to Excellence - is a very prestigious honor for innovation in the automotive industry and is globally recognized. The award is sponsored by Automotive News - the voice of the industry. From hundreds of applications, including many from multi-billion dollar companies with huge resources, STRATTEC was chosen as one of 34 finalists. Last November and December, pairs of judges did on-site visits to all of the finalists. STRATTEC was announced as one of winners at a black tie event held at the Max M. Fisher Music Center on April 8, 2019.
The Invis-A-Rise™ Power Tailgate System provides the customer with another “first-to-market” innovation. The electro-mechanical system can automatically open and close the tailgate with the touch of a button. Being a “smart system” it has the ability to stop and / or reverse when obstacles are detected, combining convenience with safety.
This customer convenience feature will add to the overall customer satisfaction of the vehicle since it allows for both “hands free” and “effortless” operation of the tailgate. This system includes a drive unit which powers the tailgate open and closed, an electronic control module which controls the functionality of the system, and two power cinch / release latches that automatically lock the tailgate into a fully latched position when closed. This will definitely be a “game changer” in the OEM truck segment!
Overall, this project was an incredible success. Our STRATTEC team met all of the performance objectives, overcoming a variety of engineering challenges. STRATTEC is hopeful that all OEM’s will eventually move to the superior STRATTEC Invis-A-Rise™ Power Tailgate System for truck tailgates.
As an organization we are all very proud of the Innovation and the comprehensive team that made this possible!