BOISE, Idaho, July 29, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boise Cascade Engineered Wood Products, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, was selected as one of only 16 national winners of the industry leading 2013 "A,A Partners of Choice" Award for supply chain management from David Weekley Homes, the largest privately-held home builder in America. The highly respected and sought-after "A,A Partners of Choice" honor is awarded to David Weekley Homes trading partners receiving the highest marks through participation in its world-class supplier evaluation platform. This platform challenges both David Weekley Homes and its suppliers to achieve excellence through a rigorous continuous improvement process, the heart of which is the "National Trading Partners Survey." Only about 10% of the 175+ trading partners doing business with David Weekley Homes were chosen for the 2013 "A,A" award.
Winning the honor this year, and in coming years, could bring with it the opportunity for manufacturers and their channel partners to participate in the aggressive growth plans of David Weekley Homes. As David Weekley Homes grows in part by entering new markets, results from its comprehensive evaluation platform will help select their best trading partners in those new markets. David Weekley Homes believes relying on successful current business relationships will be a key element for bypassing many of the traditional supply chain issues faced when starting operations in new markets. As a result, suppliers with demonstrated strong performance in the home builder's rigorous supplier feedback system stand to participate in the dramatic growth planned by David Weekley Homes.
The implications are far-reaching because trading partners aren't judged solely on their own actions, but also on the actions of their channel partners in delivery and installation of their goods. This concept, coined "channel alignment" by David Weekley Homes, challenges its suppliers to actively manage the supply chain to ensure that competitively priced products and services are delivered and installed seamlessly into its homes. For firms wishing to improve their channel alignment, the survey measures response time, follow-through, communication, access, reliability, cost competitiveness and other areas of the business relationship. Feedback is available 24/7/365 so trading partners can view the system anytime and see performance data by quarter for the past year and beyond. Tools are in place for trading partners to constantly monitor their progress toward supply chain perfection. The greater the feedback and participation in the process, the smaller the issues become.
"Boise Cascade's strong commitment to our process and superior results in aligning and managing their distribution channels in support of our needs are the main drivers behind their success," said Bill Justus, vice president of Supply Chain Services for David Weekley Homes and author of the home builder's rigorous supplier evaluation program. "Demonstrated strong performance measured by our interactive feedback platform provides David Weekley Homes the information necessary to select the best possible team of companies to join us when we enter new markets," Justus said. "As an "A,A Partners of Choice" award winner eight years running, they have proven to be world-class in delivering quality and service to our team. As a result, we have confidence in Boise Cascade and its recommendations for partners in new markets," Justus added.
"We at Boise Cascade are extremely appreciative that Bill and his team at David Weekley Homes have put in place this comprehensive program that enables us to perform at the highest levels and align our network of channel partners across America as David Weekley Homes enters new markets," said Denny Huston, Boise Cascade Engineered Wood Products vice president of sales and marketing. "We are extremely proud of our working relationship with David Weekley Homes and have infinite respect for the fairness and effectiveness of its evaluation platform, and specifically the National Trading Partners Survey," Huston added.
The David Weekley Homes National Trading Partners Survey is a running quarterly review of suppliers, with ratings provided by over 600 team members from all levels within the Company. Suppliers are rated quarterly on a 1-10 scale on quality and service, scores for each company averaged, then ranked with all other participants. Alpha rankings are assigned in 20% increments from A to F, with 20% receiving an "A", 20% a "B", etc. Receiving an A for both quality and service in the same year is rare, with the "A,A Partners of Choice" award being the highest ranking any trading partner can receive.
About David Weekley Homes
David Weekley Homes, founded in 1976, is headquartered in Houston and operates in 17 markets across the United States. David Weekley Homes was the first home builder in the United States to be awarded the Triple Crown of American Home Building, an honor which includes "America's Best Builder," "Builder of the Year," and the "National Housing Quality Award." Weekley has also appeared seven times on FORTUNE® magazine's coveted "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. Since inception, David Weekley Homes has closed more than 70,000 homes. For more information about David Weekley Homes, visit the company's web site at www.davidweekleyhomes.com.
About Boise Cascade
Boise Cascade Company, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, manufactures engineered wood products, plywood, lumber and particleboard and distributes a broad line of building materials, including wood products manufactured by the Company. For more information about Boise Cascade Company, visit www.bc.com.
© 2013 Boise Cascade Wood Products, L.L.C. BOISE CASCADE and the TREE-IN-A-CIRCLE symbol are trademarks of Boise Cascade Company or its affiliates. David Weekley Homes is a trademark of David Weekly Homes. FORTUNE is a trademark of Time Inc.