KANSAS CITY, MO, 22-SEP-03 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] was one of three suppliers of mail processing equipment recognized today by Postmaster General John E. Jack Potter for working together to advance postal automation standardization.

Potter presented Judy Marks, president of Lockheed Martin's Distribution Technologies business, with the U.S. Postal Service's prestigious Partnership for Progress Award during the opening general session of the 2003 Fall National Postal Forum being held in Kansas City. The Lockheed Martin business is based in Owego, NY.

Marks joined executives from Siemens Dematic Postal Automation L.P. and Northrop Grumman's Automation and Information Systems business, who were similarly honored for working collaboratively and cooperatively to improve areas of recognition technology and mail processing equipment.

These three corporations, though competitive, have recognized the value of being open to new ways of doing business, Potter said. They have found that they can work collectively and independently with the Postal Service in the interest of improving the mailing industry and value to their own shareholders.

All three companies partner with the U.S. Postal Service to focus on future automation equipment opportunities and annually manage multimillion-dollar research and development programs to help further the technology, Potter said.

The men and women of Lockheed Martin's Distribution Technologies team are honored to receive the Partnership for Progress Award, Marks said. Lockheed Martin is dedicated to providing the Postal Service and mail industry with technological advancements that dramatically reduce operating costs and improve service. In the cooperative spirit in which this honor has been bestowed, we will continue to strive to deliver innovative solutions that benefit our customers, the entire mail industry, and the American public.