MAUMEE, Ohio — Dana Inc. has been named Supplier of the Year by school bus manufacturer Blue Bird Corp.

Dana is one of 450 production suppliers that work with Blue Bird. According to the OEM, Dana earned the top honor by introducing new products that align with Blue Bird’s commitment to safety, quality, durability, and serviceability, while also exceeding on-time delivery goals, delivering cost-saving initiatives, and providing exceptional parts and service support.

“At Blue Bird, it is our goal to design, build, sell, and service the world's finest school buses, and the safety of schoolchildren is at the center of all that we do,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird. “With a shared commitment to delivering innovative, market-leading technologies, Dana earned our Supplier of the Year award by providing excellent engineering, marketing, and field service support.”

Dana supplies Blue Bird with a range of drivetrain solutions, including Spicer medium- and heavy-duty single-drive axles, SPL Series driveshafts, and Spicer end yokes.

“For more than 25 years, Dana and Blue Bird have worked together to improve the safety, performance, and efficiency of school buses,” said Mark Wallace, executive vice president of Dana and president of Dana Commercial Driveline Technologies. “As a past recipient of several Outstanding Supplier awards from Blue Bird, Dana’s top position as 2017 Supplier of the Year is a testament to our strong relationship with this leading manufacturer.”