Ford Motor Co., following its first annual profit since 2005, became the only non-Japanese automaker ever ranked among the top three in a survey of suppliers.
Ford's rating for its working relationship with parts makers in North America rose 14 percent, placing it ahead of Nissan Motor Co. to capture third place in the annual Planning Perspectives Inc. ranking that started in 2002. Honda Motor Co., the leader in the 2010 report, was followed by Toyota Motor Corp. in second place.
Ford and other U.S. automakers "finally realized they can't treat suppliers the way they had been," said John Henke, chief executive officer of Planning Perspectives. "They've got to be absolutely vigilant that they don't revert back to their old ways."