Committed to customer support

AMI Semiconductor named Rockwell Collins Supplier of the Year

By Dana Engelbert

Developing strong, enduring relationships with customers is something in which most companies take a great deal of pride. But it also is the ability to maintain those relationships over time that ultimately sets a company above its competition.

For the past three decades, AMI Semiconductor has managed to develop and maintain a lasting relationship with Rockwell Collins. Based in Pocatello, Idaho, this manufacturer of specialized microchips for the automotive, medical, industrial and military market segments has been able to consistently provide our company with quality products in a timely fashion.

AMI Semiconductor received the Rockwell Collins President's Award for Supplier of the Year. Here, several members of the company pose with Rockwell Collins Chairman, President and CEO Clay Jones (far left) and Operations Senior Vice President Jeff Moore (far right).
Rockwell Collins image

"There's a drive on both sides of the relationship to be successful that is so strong," said Jim Hicks, marketing manager at AMI Semiconductor. "That drive for quality and performance is evident in every project we work on."

That commitment to excellence and drive for success is what prompted Rockwell Collins to recognize this company as one of its premier suppliers. In fact, AMI Semiconductor recently received the President's Award for Supplier of the Year during the Rockwell Collins 2007 Annual Supplier Conference held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

According to Dean Parr, a principal component application engineer at Rockwell Collins, AMI has consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty. Despite extremely tight deadlines, for instance, AMI still delivered two products to our company for use on the Boeing 787 project, and is now working on its third.

"Their design team has worked many hours of overtime to get what we needed," said Parr, who also leads the commodity team that supports AMI. "They are an impressive group of people. Their teams are great at meeting their commitments."

Part of that commitment is supporting our company's products for years to come. Because Rockwell Collins products are often sold over the course of 10 years and require additional maintenance and repair work, parts and products must be available for several years, said Parr.

"AMI willingly makes those products available whereas other suppliers aren't willing to do so, especially in the relatively low volumes," said Parr. "That commitment to customer support is appreciated by the teams at Rockwell Collins who are working with AMI. We always know we can count on them to do their best to meet their commitments."

Open and honest communication

Another factor that sets AMI above the rest is the manufacturer's ability to be extraordinarily flexible, said Parr. For some products, the company will carry the entire process – from design to finished product. On other projects, AMI will receive the design specifications and will then manufacture the product.

"AMI is one of the few companies that allow us to do the upfront design work and is able to produce the small volume that we need," said Parr. "That allows both internal and external teams to work seamlessly to address any issues."

In Hicks' opinion, that ability to address issues up front is what helps AMI succeed.

"Our teams are totally open and honest," said Hicks. "That way we can work through anything that might come up before it is a real problem."

The result is a mutually successful relationship that enables Rockwell Collins to serve its customers far into the future. In turn, AMI values the opportunity to work with Rockwell Collins, a company that also shares a strong sense of customer service.

To celebrate winning the President's Award, AMI brought together all employees on May 16 for what they termed "Rockwell Collins Day." The manufacturer hosted three Rockwell Collins executives and touted the collaboration.

According to Hicks, the day was a terrific opportunity to reinforce the importance of the work AMI does, even though the products themselves are quite small.

"When you spend every day making the same thing, you can lose sight of the big picture," said Hicks. "We wanted to show everyone the importance of their work and what it means to our customer."

In the years to come, AMI looks forward to continuing to demonstrate its abilities to Rockwell Collins. In addition to the 787 project, AMI has worked on numerous projects including the Airbus A380, and the Boeing 777 and 737. It also has provided products for several Government Systems projects.

— Dana Engelbert is a freelance writer.

Volume 12 Issue 3 > Committed to customer support
Volume 12 Issue 3 Deeply rooted in our heritage Delivering on our brand promise Feeding our economic engine One big, happy family Committed to customer support From Clay Jones Executive Profile - Kelly Ortberg Our heritage Letters to the editor Contributors in this issue Across our company Service anniversaries Retirees In memoriam Facility spotlight		Committed to customer support AMI Semiconductor named Rockwell Collins Supplier of the Year By Dana Engelbert Developing strong, enduring relationships with customers is something in which most companies take a great deal of pride. But it also is the ability to maintain those relationships over time that ultimately sets a company above its competition. For the past three decades, AMI Semiconductor has managed to develop and maintain a lasting relationship with Rockwell Collins. Based in Pocatello, Idaho, this manufacturer of specialized microchips for the automotive, medical, industrial and military market segments has been able to consistently provide our company with quality products in a timely fashion. AMI Semiconductor received the Rockwell Collins President's Award for Supplier of the Year. Here, several members of the company pose with Rockwell Collins Chairman, President and CEO Clay Jones (far left) and Operations Senior Vice President Jeff Moore (far right). Rockwell Collins image "There's a drive on both sides of the relationship to be successful that is so strong," said Jim Hicks, marketing manager at AMI Semiconductor. "That drive for quality and performance is evident in every project we work on." That commitment to excellence and drive for success is what prompted Rockwell Collins to recognize this company as one of its premier suppliers. In fact, AMI Semiconductor recently received the President's Award for Supplier of the Year during the Rockwell Collins 2007 Annual Supplier Conference held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. According to Dean Parr, a principal component application engineer at Rockwell Collins, AMI has consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty. Despite extremely tight deadlines, for instance, AMI still delivered two products to our company for use on the Boeing 787 project, and is now working on its third. "Their design team has worked many hours of overtime to get what we needed," said Parr, who also leads the commodity team that supports AMI. "They are an impressive group of people. Their teams are great at meeting their commitments." Part of that commitment is supporting our company's products for years to come. Because Rockwell Collins products are often sold over the course of 10 years and require additional maintenance and repair work, parts and products must be available for several years, said Parr. "AMI willingly makes those products available whereas other suppliers aren't willing to do so, especially in the relatively low volumes," said Parr. "That commitment to customer support is appreciated by the teams at Rockwell Collins who are working with AMI. We always know we can count on them to do their best to meet their commitments." Open and honest communication Another factor that sets AMI above the rest is the manufacturer's ability to be extraordinarily flexible, said Parr. For some products, the company will carry the entire process – from design to finished product. On other projects, AMI will receive the design specifications and will then manufacture the product. "AMI is one of the few companies that allow us to do the upfront design work and is able to produce the small volume that we need," said Parr. "That allows both internal and external teams to work seamlessly to address any issues." In Hicks' opinion, that ability to address issues up front is what helps AMI succeed. "Our teams are totally open and honest," said Hicks. "That way we can work through anything that might come up before it is a real problem." The result is a mutually successful relationship that enables Rockwell Collins to serve its customers far into the future. In turn, AMI values the opportunity to work with Rockwell Collins, a company that also shares a strong sense of customer service. To celebrate winning the President's Award, AMI brought together all employees on May 16 for what they termed "Rockwell Collins Day." The manufacturer hosted three Rockwell Collins executives and touted the collaboration. According to Hicks, the day was a terrific opportunity to reinforce the importance of the work AMI does, even though the products themselves are quite small. "When you spend every day making the same thing, you can lose sight of the big picture," said Hicks. "We wanted to show everyone the importance of their work and what it means to our customer." In the years to come, AMI looks forward to continuing to demonstrate its abilities to Rockwell Collins. In addition to the 787 project, AMI has worked on numerous projects including the Airbus A380, and the Boeing 777 and 737. It also has provided products for several Government Systems projects. — Dana Engelbert is a freelance writer.