WARRENDALE, Pa., May 21, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- SAE International announces that Gerald Johnson, Vice President, North America Manufacturing and Labor Relations with General Motors (GM), has been chosen as the recipient of the Subir Chowdhury Medal of Quality Leadership.

Mr. Johnson was presented with his medal during the SAE International WCX World Congress Experience, recently held in Detroit.

The Chowdhury Medal honors those in the mobility industry who bring forth innovation and broaden the impact of quality in mobility engineering, design and manufacturing. This prestigious award recognizes the mobility profession's benefits to society through quality in engineering. The award is named for Subir Chowdhury, who is Chairman and CEO of ASI Consulting Group. Chowdhury, an SAE Fellow, is an eminent quality management thought leader and also the bestselling author of 15 books including The Difference: When Good Enough Isn't Enough (Crown Business, 2017).

In Mr. Johnson's primary role with GM, he oversees assembly, stamping, propulsion and component operations within the United States, Canada and Mexico. Previously, he served as vice president of Operational Excellence (OpEx) where planning and execution of a company-wide initiative on process discipline, improvement and waste elimination was his primary focus.    

During his 37-year career with GM, Mr. Johnson has maintained his focus on operational excellence, while continually ensuring GM's manufacturing competitive advantage.
Among Mr. Johnson's most notable accomplishments leading to the receipt of this award, has been his leadership role in GM's Operational Excellence Program, training nearly 5,000 practitioners and executives to lead management driven projects. His passion for excellence is also bestowed upon the more than 60 employees he has mentored, advised or directed during his career. Outside of the organization, he has called on his professional experience to contribute to the development of a GM master's degree program at Kettering University, has served the Boy Scouts Leadership Council and has been a tutor in the Detroit Public School system.

In Mr. Johnson's winning the medal, Chowdhury stated "It is my honor to know personally Gerald Johnson and working with him closely. I am very excited to learn about this great news and hope he will continue to make a difference at GM and automotive industry."

SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the engineering profession. By uniting over 127,000 engineers and technical experts, we drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs like A World in Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series™.

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SOURCE Sae International