Wichita, KS - November 19, 2007 - Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, took two awards Nov. 6 at the first annual Aerospace & Defense Supply Chain Excellence Awards dinner sponsored by the Supplier Excellence Alliance. Cessna was named Customer of the Year, and Cessna Supply Management Vice President Don Beverlin won the Richard Hall Award for Leadership Excellence.
“We are very pleased to have Don and our entire supply chain management organization recognized by the Alliance as an industry leader,” said Ron Alberti, senior vice president, Integrated Supply Chain. “These awards are indicative of the importance we place throughout Textron on building strong supplier relationships.”
As Customer of the Year, Cessna was recognized for superior supplier development, supplier retention, and its ability to form alliances with suppliers to establish a competitive advantage. In winning the leadership award, Beverlin was cited for his communications skills, ethics and industry leadership.
Cessna and Textron are members of SEA, an industry partnership of leading aerospace and defense prime contractors, tier-one sub-contractors and suppliers. Its mission is to accelerate supply chain performance, expand supply chain capabilities, and to help build and encourage collaboration among suppliers, resulting in integrated supply chain solutions.
About Cessna Aircraft Company
Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2006, Cessna delivered 1,239 aircraft, including 307 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $4.2 billion. Cessna has a current backlog of $11.9 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, some 190,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to nearly every country in the world. The global fleet of more than 5,000 Citations is the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at http://www.cessna.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is an $11 billion multi-industry company operating in 32 countries with approximately 40,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at http://www.textron.com.