Lear Corporation the leading supplier of automotive interior systems and components today announced here of its receipt of three Ford Motor Company World Excellence Awards for superior performance in 2006.

Lear Corporation as frontrunner of international suppliers of automotive interior systems and components provide complete seating systems, electronic products and electrical distribution systems. From its inception in 1917 in Detroit as American Metal Products and a manufacturer of tubular, welded and stamped assemblies for the automotive and aircraft industries has come a long way and with annual net sales of $17.1 billion it ranks #127 among the Fortune 500 in 2006. since 1994 when Lear went public Lear has grown to meet the changing needs of the industry with 18 major acquisitions since 1994, when Lear went public.

Lear received a Gold Award for its excellence in quality, cost and delivery for seating at its plant in Genk, Belgium, and a Silver Award for seating at its St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada facility. There are three types of World Excellence Awards -- Gold, Silver and Recognition of Achievement. The Gold and Silver Awards are given to those suppliers who have excelled in quality, delivery and cost, and 14 suppliers in this year received the Gold Award and 33 suppliers were awarded Silver. In addition, Lear won a Recognition of Achievement for Consumer-Driven 6-Sigma efforts at its St. Thomas, Ontario, facility that is related to a project that had a direct impact on Ford customer satisfaction. Lear, with three awards has created a new record of receiving the highest number of awards for any single supplier.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Tony (Thomas K.) Brown, the Senior Vice President, Global Purchasing said, "We appreciate the contributions that these award-winning suppliers have made to Ford Motor Company, and applaud them for their hard work and dedication. Their efforts have positively impacted customer satisfaction."

While speaking to the newsmen Mr. Doug DelGrosso, the President and Chief Operating Officer of Lear said, "Amid all the industry challenges we face today, I am very pleased the Lear team is maintaining its focus on exceeding the expectations of our customers."  "The Lear team understands that being a leading supplier in the global automotive industry means continuous improvement in quality, customer service and innovation," he added.