ASSEMBLY Magazine and The Boston Consulting Group Invite Nominations for 2012 'Assembly Plant of the Year'

Award Recognizes Operational Excellence and Innovation in U.S.-Based Manufacturing


CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - Jan 18, 2012) - ASSEMBLY magazine, a leading trade publication for manufacturers, and The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) today announced that nominations are being accepted for the 2012 Assembly Plant of the Year. The annual award recognizes 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 by ASSEMBLY's editorial staff and BCG's Operations practice 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 2012 issue.

"BCG is delighted to once again cosponsor this award," said Michael Zinser, a Chicago-based partner who leads the firm's manufacturing work in the Americas. "As the U.S. appears headed for a manufacturing renaissance for certain products meant for sale at home, it is particularly exciting for us to be able to spotlight a world-class facility. We expect many nominations again this year, and look forward to the challenge of helping select the 2012 winner."

This will be the ninth annual Assembly Plant of the Year award. Previous recipients have been Philips Respironics in New Kensington, PA (2011), Eaton Corporation in Lincoln, IL (2010), Batesville Casket Company in Manchester, TN (2009), IBM Corporation 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).

"Manufacturers in a wide variety of industries are once again seeing the strategic benefit of building products in the United States, and they are investing in their domestic plants," said Austin Weber, senior editor of ASSEMBLY. "We encourage those organizations to step up and nominate their facilities for the 2012 Assembly Plant of the Year award."

Companies interested in applying can fill out the online form at www.assemblymag.com/plantoftheyearform. There is no entry fee, and more than one plant may be nominated. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2012.

About ASSEMBLY Magazine

ASSEMBLY (www.assemblymag.com) 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 from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors in all regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their enterprises. 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 74 offices in 42 countries. For more information, please visit www.bcg.com.