ASSEMBLY Magazine and The Boston Consulting Group to Jointly Sponsor Award for 'Assembly Plant of the Year'

ASSEMBLY magazine, a leading trade publication for manufacturers, and The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) today announced plans to jointly sponsor an award for "Assembly Plant of the Year." The award will recognize a manufacturing facility in the United States that has applied world-class processes to reduce production costs, increase productivity, shorten time to market, or improve product quality.

Entries will be judged on a broad range of operational performance measures and the use of manufacturing management tools. The winning facility will be featured along with the other finalists in ASSEMBLY's October 2009 issue.

"BCG is pleased to cosponsor this award, particularly now given the economic downturn and the challenges that the manufacturing sector faces," said Michael Zinser, a partner in BCG's Chicago office. "At a time when many companies have moved their manufacturing operations overseas to cut costs, this award will highlight the strengths of U.S. plants and the ongoing competitiveness of those that demonstrate excellence and innovation."

This will be the sixth annual "Assembly Plant of the Year" award. Previous recipients have been IBM in Poughkeepsie, NY (2008), Schneider Electric/Square D in Lexington, KY (2007), Lear Corporation in Montgomery, AL (2006), Xerox Corporation in Webster, NY (2005), and Paccar Inc./Kenworth Truck Company in Renton, WA (2004).

"Our goal is to broaden the global exposure of the 'Assembly Plant of the Year' award, while continuing to emphasize world-class American manufacturing," said Austin Weber, senior editor of ASSEMBLY. "This partnership will allow us to enhance the prestige of the award by leveraging BCG's expertise in operations."

Companies interested in applying can fill out the online form at www.assemblymag.com. There is no entry fee and more than one plant may be nominated. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2009.

About ASSEMBLY

ASSEMBLY is a monthly trade magazine that has been published since 1958. It is read by plant managers, manufacturing engineers, and design engineers in a wide variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace, appliances, consumer goods, electronics, industrial machinery, medical devices, and telecommunications. ASSEMBLY covers the systems, equipment, tools, and materials used by OEMs and contract manufacturers to assemble discrete parts into finished products, including manual and automated production processes. ASSEMBLY is published by BNP Media II LLC.

About The Boston Consulting Group

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm and the world's leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with clients in all sectors and regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their businesses. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the dynamics of companies and markets with close collaboration at all levels of the client organization. This ensures that our clients achieve sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and secure lasting results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with 66 offices in 38 countries.

For more information, please visit www.bcg.com.