LONDON, 12/17/2007 -- Lockheed Martin UK recently received a prestigious Supplier Performance Award from NATS (formerly National Air Traffic Services). It was the first time the UK air navigation service provider honoured one of its key suppliers for meeting top supply chain management performance criteria.

Lockheed Martin achieved the highest rating across four key areas being assessed by NATS in its Supplier Performance Management (SPM) programme, which includes various NATS supply chain management stakeholders. Quantitative and qualitative criteria were used to measure performance.

This is a great achievement for one of our key suppliers with whom we've had a long-standing relationship, said NATS Supply Chain and Facilities Management Director Chris Odam. It is common practice in supplier relationship management to monitor the performance of suppliers, and this process enables us to have a consistent and consolidated view of a supplier across the whole of NATS. A formalised process that benchmarks a supplier's performance, the SPM programme continuously aims at improving how a supplier works with us, Odam noted.

The categories judged were: commercial, which scores a supplier in terms of cost optimisation plans, value engineering and tender activities; delivery, which scores performance in terms of quality and timing of delivery, and how well a supplier manages these criteria if a project changes; management systems, which scores a supplier's business management systems, including internal auditing processes, risk management, and mitigation planning; and technology and capability, which measures the level of expertise and service delivered by companies of equal stature.

Each year more than 220 million passengers rely on NATS to move them safely and swiftly through the UK skies. I'm proud that our team is able to provide NATS with the right technology and skills to help them perform this important task, and pleased that our relationship continues to prove so effective, said Ian Stopps, chief executive of Lockheed Martin UK.

Accepting the award for Lockheed Martin during a ceremony in early December was Sandra Samuel, Lockheed Martin's newly appointed vice president of Aviation Solutions. Samuel's organization, which includes UK and US personnel, is one of the world's leading air traffic management providers. In the UK, the team is currently implementing upgrades to the NATS Swanwick Air Traffic Control Centre operating system as well as supporting the development of NATS Interim Future Area Controller Tool Set (iFACTS), which is a decision support tool aimed at increasing a controller's situational awareness for aircraft separation.

It is a great honour to be named NATS' best supplier, Samuel said. In our 30 years of working with NATS, we've had a solid record of success. Yet being recognised for meeting these critical milestones on the Swanwick and iFACTS programmes, on time and within budget, is very special to our entire team.

Lockheed Martin UK, a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, is a leader in systems integration working on major programmes spanning the aerospace, defence and civil sectors. Lockheed Martin works with more than 100 business partners and employs about 1,700 people at 12 sites across the UK.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services. The corporation reported 2006 sales of $39.6 billion.