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AVIATION WEEK Announces A&D Industry's Leading Annual Rankings: 2009 Top-Performing Companies

Posted on: Monday, 1 June 2009, 15:00 CDT

Lockheed Martin, Precision Castparts, FLIR Systems and Ceradyne receive top rankings for operational performance

NEW YORK, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- AVIATION WEEK has released the results of its Top-Performing Companies (TPC) Study, the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry's leading annual rankings and competitive analysis, which identifies Lockheed Martin, Precision Castparts, FLIR Systems and Ceradyne as the top companies for 2009. A series of articles and ranking tables are available in this week's issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology and at AviationWeek.com/TPC. The winning companies will receive awards during the Paris Air Show at AVIATION WEEK's Chalet on June 17.

To read the articles and for complete rankings on the 79 companies in this year's study, extensive data going back 10 years on the 50 largest companies, commentaries, podcasts, and graphics, go to the TPC microsite at AviationWeek.com/TPC. Sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the microsite contains the most extensive online coverage of the TPC study in its 13-year history. A companion online analytics tool, the Top-Performing Companies Benchmarking Tool, is also available to enterprise subscribers and allows companies to regularly monitor performance and set competitive goals.

Launched in 1996, AVIATION WEEK's TPC Study identifies relative strengths and weaknesses in companies' operational performance and evaluates how well they are executing business strategies. Proprietary metrics have been refined over the past 13 years with input from industry leaders to include scores in four equally weighted performance categories: Return on Invested Capital, Earnings Momentum, Asset Management, and Financial Health.

"Something real is going on here, and you can see it in the results of this year's Top-Performing Companies study," says AVIATION WEEK Editor-in-Chief Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. in his TPC overview. "Contractors are continuing to apply 'lean' initiatives to their operations,...the industry as a whole is getting progressively more productive, [and] the best-run companies are demonstrating they know how to maintain world-class performance."

Each of the top companies is the leader in its category, based on A&D revenue for the 2008-09 fiscal year:

• Ranked no. 1 in the "Revenue Greater Than $20 Billion" group for the second consecutive year, Lockheed Martin is characterized as "firing on all cylinders," capitalizing on its success at integrating a disparate collection of businesses and reflecting consistent improvement in all sectors.
• In the "$5-20 Billion" category, Precision Castparts benefits from its strong culture of accountability and a return on invested capital to match, commanding premium prices for its specialized products.
• In the "$1-5 Billion" category, FLIR Systems is viewed as a "cash machine," generating operating margins of 40% and maintaining its highly competitive position in the defense market.
• Top ranked among small companies ($250 Million - $1 Billion) for the second year in a row, Ceradyne continues to leverage robust military demand for its advanced ceramic armor and products.

"Although 2008 was a banner year for the A&D industry, 2009 and 2010 will be very challenging," says AVIATION WEEK Senior Business Editor Joseph C. Anselmo. "The results of this year's Top-Performing Companies Study provide clues about how well A&D companies are positioned to withstand the tough times that are descending on the industry."

For further commentary, Joseph Anselmo can be reached at Joe_Anselmo@aviationweek.com.

About AVIATION WEEK

AVIATION WEEK, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the largest multimedia information and services provider to the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries, and includes the publications Aviation Week & Space Technology, Defense Technology International, Business & Commercial Aviation, Overhaul & Maintenance, ShowNews, Aviation Daily, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, and the World Aerospace Database. The group's website, http://www.aviationweek.com, offers the industry's most reliable news, information, search and online community tools. Premium content services include the Aviation Week Intelligence Network, MRO Prospector, and the Top-Performing Companies Benchmarking Tool. The group also produces prominent conferences, exhibitions and management forums around the world.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

SOURCE AVIATION WEEK

Source: PR Newswire

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