EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Nov. 25, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been named 2003 Manufacturer of the Year for the Desert Pacific Region by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the world's leading professional society supporting manufacturing education. The company was selected for its innovative and high-quality products, exceptional industry leadership, and support and coordination of the interactive, technical symposium series for the WESTEC 2003 conference last March in Los Angeles.
"We're honored to be recognized for building products of outstanding quality, as well as for collaborating with industry, academia and suppliers to significantly expand and revitalize this successful manufacturing exposition event," said Janis Pamiljans, vice president of production for Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector.
In addition, SME officials presented Pamiljans with a "Man of the Year" award for his leadership in furthering educational opportunities within SME and promoting awareness of the industry's capabilities within the manufacturing sector. Pamiljans accepted both awards on behalf of Northrop Grumman at an awards ceremony Oct. 18 in San Diego, Calif.
"Thanks to Northrop Grumman, the WESTEC technical forum has significantly increased the level of interest in manufacturing throughout the region and throughout SME," said James Leslie, director of SME. "Northrop Grumman is definitely deserving of these awards for its unsurpassed commitment to quality products and manufacturing excellence."
With more than 20,000 visitors annually, WESTEC is the largest manufacturing and metalworking tradeshow west of the Mississippi. This year, Northrop Grumman supplemented the "Exposition of Productivity and Tools" with an interactive learning symposium. Ninety-six technical papers were presented during the four-day event. Northrop Grumman has been instrumental in working with SME to integrate composite and metrology technologies into WESTEC events.
Through its member programs, publications, expositions and professional development resources, SME promotes increased awareness of manufacturing engineering and helps keep manufacturing professionals current on the leading trends and technologies. Headquartered in Michigan, this nonprofit organization influences more than 500,000 manufacturing engineers and executives annually. SME is supported by a network of hundreds of chapters worldwide with members in 70 countries.
Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems is a premier aerospace and defense systems integration enterprise. Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., it designs, develops, produces and supports network-enabled integrated systems and subsystems for government and civil customers worldwide. Integrated Systems delivers best-value solutions, products and services that support military and homeland defense missions in the areas of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; battle management command and control; and integrated strike warfare.