Ford Motor Co. has awarded its Q1 Accreditation to Pirelli Tire North America, recognizing the Rome tire factory for excellence in a variety of categories ¡X including manufacturing, logistics and supply.

Pirelli's Rome factory supplies Ford with 22-inch, original-equipment tires for its F-150 Harley Davidson-edition truck, in addition to making replacement tires for a number of Ford models.

It's basically the award given to suppliers that have met a very thorough, demanding list of requirements from Ford Motor Co.," said Marco Verzino, quality director for Pirelli Tire North America. "It's an award that makes us very proud."

Ford's Q1 Accreditation process includes a look at a supplier's product quality, manufacturing, manufacturing management and product development, as well as several indicators on the supply and logistics side of the business.

Receiving the award puts Pirelli in good standing to compete for future contracts with Ford, Verzino added.

Based in Milan, Italy, Pirelli opened its Rome tire manufacturing plant and set up its North American headquarters here in 2002.

Using its patented Modular Integrated Robotized System, Pirelli is able to produce cost-effective small runs of specialized high-performance tires in its Rome manufacturing facility, which has about 200 employees.

Earlier this year, the company also received a top honor from J.D. Power and Associates, ranking highest in the mass market/non-luxury vehicle category of the group¡¦s 2006 Original Equipment Tire Satisfaction Study.