(2014/10/10): NOVI, Mich.  For the third time, the BMW Group has recognized their suppliers with the BMW Supplier Innovation Award, which is conferred for outstanding innovations  and  development achievements. Preh was singled out in two categories for this honor.

The BMW Group recognises its most innovative suppliers as key partners in the implementation of new developments who make a decisive contribution to the success of the company. The Supplier Innovation Award pays tribute to their achievements.

Klaus Draeger, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Purchasing  and  Supplier Network, explained: “Innovation is a decisive factor in a vehicle’s market success. Many customers ultimately opt for the car with the most impressive innovations. In fact, innovations are a key driver in our role as a pioneer in shaping the mobility of tomorrow.”

Preh was nominated in the categories of productivity  and  quality for the iDrive Controller building block as well as for a 3-D test station for control surfaces.

The iDrive Controller is the central control system in the center console that allows intuitive operation of infotainment functions. Based on the building block the iDrive controller can be used in car model series of the different BMW group brands. For the BMW brand the iDrive Controller is now a part of eleven model series in different designs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  and  7-Series, as well as in the Model X, X3, X5  and  X6.

The 3-D test station is used by Preh for the contact-free measurement of control panels. It is faster than the previous 2-D testing technologyensures that various parameters of the control system exactly fit the specifications. For example, the gap variations between the bezelbuttons are checked, among other things.

Dr. Michael Roesnick, Preh’s presidentchief executive officer, said, "As a development partnerseries supplier to BMW, together with our customer, we have brought numerous innovations to the road since the 1980s. Now we have been nominated in two categories for BMW Supplier Innovation Award. Even if we were not at the podium at the end, we already feel this dual nomination is a valuable award showing the innovative strength of our company."