Original equipment suppliers design, engineer, procure and manufacture the systems and components required for the assembly of passenger cars and light trucks. OE suppliers provide approximately 60 percent of the vehicle value through visible components such as stereo systems to components hopefully a customer will never see such as air bag modules.  An automobile contains 8,000 to 12,000 components and OE suppliers provide the right part, at the right time, at the right assembly plant every day to support 75 million units of annual global vehicle production.  

The OE supplier is the largest manufacturing sector in North America.  The sector is often divided into levels or tiers. Tier 1 suppliers provide full design and engineering support while Tier 2 suppliers manufacturer components to blueprint specifications and Tier 3 suppliers provide raw materials, material fabrication and discrete parts. While there are approximately 3,000 suppliers supporting the industry, it is more likely there are 500 core automotive suppliers that provide the majority of the value of the vehicle.

Visit the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA) website, part of the MEMA network, to learn more.