Thermo King Corp. was recently awarded “Strategic Supplier” status from Gillig Corp.

In 2004, Gillig initiated a semi-annual supplier performance evaluation program called the vSCORE. The comprehensive program rates a number of individual categories such as product quality, on-time delivery and customer service on a scale of one to five, with five being the highest rating.

To be named a “Strategic Supplier,” a company needs a score of 95 points or higher for four consecutive rating periods (two years). Since the inception of the program, only four other suppliers have qualified for the award.

Gillig, located in Hayward, Calif., is the second largest manufacturer of transit buses in North America. The privately-owned company has been in business for more than 100 years and was recently acquired by the Crown family. Thermo King has been a supplier of HVAC equipment and systems to Gillig for the past 25 years.