Tata Motors presents Supplier of the Year 2014 award to Harman International

Tata gave the award to its most valued partner – Harman audio company – at its annual Supplier’s Conference held in Mumbai.

Recognising the contribution made by Harman International Pvt. Ltd., the premium audio, infotainment and enterprise automation group, Tata Motors awarded it with this year’s TATA Motors Supplier of the Year award at the TATA Motors Annual Supplier’s Conference 2014 held in Mumbai. HARMAN is a key technology partner in TATA Motor’s ‘ConnectNext’ initiative which aims at providing best-in-class infotainment and connectivity features for Tata’s passenger vehicles.

Commenting on Harman’s performance, Mr. Mayank Pareek, President – Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, TATA Motors said,“One of the key objectives of our four-pronged customer-focused approach of ‘HorizoNext’ is to provide best vehicle experience and ConnectNext forms a strategic pillar in our product development cycle. With ConnectNext coming into play, we have worked with HARMAN towards offering a new, high-tech and segment leading user interface or customers to stay connected, at all times. We are delighted to partner with them in this endeavour.”

HARMAN designed the next-gen infotainment system earlier this year for the Zest, an advanced mid-level sedan from Tata.  The system was developed locally by the HARMAN R&D centres in Bangalore and Pune, despite being made in India, these systems comply to the global standards used in Shanghai and Germany. Zest’s infotainment system is a perfect blend of premium technology made available at an affordable price. The touch-screen system in the Zest is unique in its segment and offers best-in-class acoustic experience with eight speakers along with connectivity options such as AUX, USB, Bluetooth, voice recognition, message readout and steering operated controls.

Accepting the award, Mr. Dinesh C Paliwal, Chairman, President and CEO, HARMAN International said, “HARMAN is extremely proud to receive such a coveted award from TATA Motors, one of the largest automakers in the world. I am equally as excited and proud for our team in India.  This award represents years of collaboration and true partnership with the talented team at TATA. It comes at the perfect time as HARMAN further invests in our relationship with TATA and the ‘Make in India’ effort with the opening of our manufacturing facility in Pune.  We are excited to deliver cutting edge infotainment and audio solutions in the country that will benefit not only India but drivers around the world.”