SAVANNAH, Ga. — Great Dane has announced plans for its first ever Supplier Summit and Innovation Challenge, where it will reward innovation from its suppliers.

The event will be held Sept. 28-30 in Savannah, Ga. The goal, according to Bob Brege, Great Dane’s vice-president of procurement, is to provide a forum to celebrate the contributions of Great Dane’s key suppliers. It will feature an awards dinner.

The Innovation Challenge event will bring together talented and creative resources to create “cutting edge solutions” for Great Dane and its customers, the company says.

Rick Mullininx, Great Dane’s EVP of Engineering and a member of the company’s Innovation Advisory Board, said that the solutions the company has in mind can be in the form of new products, processes or services.

He added the Innovation Challenge will also provide participating suppliers with an opportunity to spend additional time in collaborative discussions with a cross-functional team of Great Dane managers and leaders, with the goal of developing new business solutions that leverage both company’s specific areas of expertise.

“We’re truly excited about these new opportunities to collaborate with our key suppliers,” Mullininx said. “We look forward to strong participation and a lot of great new ideas in the process.”