BETHESDA, MD, August 23rd, 1999 -- Lockheed Martin hosted the first annual Corporate Supplier Conference this week in Orlando, bringing together more than 100 of the best aerospace companies in the industry. One attraction was the fact that Lockheed Martin annually spends about $13 billion with its subcontractors and vendors. In an effort to improve quality and lower costs, the Corporation sought to encourage its subcontractor base to focus on a series of quality improvements. At the same time, Lockheed Martin procurement quality managers, in efforts to lower costs and improve quality developed the concept of quantitatively measuring supplier quality and creating a group of preferred suppliers.

The target was to achieve 100% in quality and delivery. As a result of the first year's efforts, four firms were judged superior and earned Lockheed Martin Star Supplier Facility Awards.

Pete Teets, Lockheed Martin President and Chief Operating Officer noted during the award ceremony that the conference was an opportunity for big and small suppliers, including major competitors, to better understand the full range of opportunities available as suppliers to Lockheed Martin. He pointed out that last year the Corporation spent more than a billion dollars a month with subcontractors, totaling about half of the corporation's annual sales.

The presentation of these first four "Star Supplier Awards" kicked off the Corporation's intent to recognize these best supplier partners. First years award winners were:

*Hawker De Havilland of Bankstown, Australia which achieved a 4.0 rating on a four-point scale. The company does about $20 million dollars of business annually in support of the C-130J program.

*Herley Vega of Lancaster, Pennsylvania earned a rating of 3.63 while doing $4 million producing transponders for the Titan, Atlas and Advanced Space Launch Systems.

*Via Sat of Carlsbad, California earned a 3.62 rating while delivering $12 million in satellite communications equipment and laboratory equipment to companies in the Electronics Sector and Aeronautics Sector.

*Teledyne Electronics Technologies of Lewisburg, Tennessee scored a 3.87 rating with $30 million in high quality circuit board assemblies and relay modules for the Electronic Sector's Vertical Launch System.

In presenting the awards, Teets noted that the real prize comes in the form of increased opportunities for partnering