Lockheed Martin, Oshkosh and Cubic Are Aviation Week's Top Performing Companies of 2011

NEW YORK,  June 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Aviation Week's 16th annual Top-Performing Companies (TPC) study, the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry's leading annual rankings and competitive analysis, has identified Lockheed Martin, Oshkosh and Cubic as the top companies for 2011. This week's issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology and a companion website, http://aviationweek.com/tpc, feature a summary of the rankings and analysis, while an expanded set of exclusive, in-depth data is available to subscribers via the Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN), Aviation Week's industry-leading business development and intelligence tool.

"The integrated print, online and AWIN-based TPC package fuses data, analytics, and media for Aviation Week customers, giving them essential insights all the way down to the business segment level," said Anne McMahon, group director, Information Marketing Services, Aviation Week. "Our goal is to provide a greater understanding of A&D companies' performance— a unique approach based in rich data analysis that offers real value to industry professionals."

Each of the top companies is the leader in its category, based on A&D revenue for the 2010-11 fiscal year:

• Lockheed Martin won the TPC study for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year among publicly-traded A&D companies with revenues greater than $20 billion. It has demonstrated significant improvement in nearly every area, a testament to its transformation and focus on organic growth rather than acquisitions.
• In the "$5-20 billion" category, Oshkosh ranked first, rocketing to the top with a surge in production of Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) all-terrain vehicles and a 579% increase in operating profit.
• Cubic claimed the top spot in the "$1-5 billion" category, bolstered by three strong product lines: e- ticketing and transportation, virtual training programs, and battlespace simulation for mission support.

For the first time, this year's rankings also take a look at unit-level operations. As listed in Aviation Week & Space Technology and on AviationWeek.com, top-performing units in 10 business segments include:

• Air Platform - Saab Aeronautics
• Avionics/Flight Management/Control Systems - Woodward Governor Turbine Systems
• Civil Military Training and Support Services - Raytheon Technical Services
• Forgings/Castings/Precision Components - Precision Castparts Investments Cast Products
• Information Technology - Mantech International
• Land, Missile and Sea Weapon Systems - Oshkosh Defense
• Propulsion - GE Aviation
• Radars/Sensors/Electronic Warfare - Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems
• Space Systems  - Loral Satellite Manufacturing
• Subsystems/Subassemblies - Harris RF Communications

Complete rankings of 117 business segments are available exclusively on AWIN. The segment rankings show how specific units contribute to the companies' overall performance and which units are top performers or laggards. The impact, scores, and rankings in these 117 segments are available only to AWIN subscribers, who also have access to the full TPC study results, interactive charts, historical performance metrics, and exclusive content, such as a Q&A with Bob Stevens, CEO of four-time TPC winner Lockheed Martin.

What's next for these top-performers? Aviation Week & Space Technology Editor-in-Chief Tony Velocci offers, "The aerospace and defense industry has entered a period when customers, especially in defense markets, are demanding much more from their suppliers. I would expect future TPC studies to provide insights into which companies are rising to the challenge."

TPC Project Manager Michael Lowry agrees that there is a challenging environment ahead. "As a leaner defense environment takes hold, we are likely on the sliding side of the hill for the defense sector, while commercial aviation appears to be on the upswing. Future laurels will go to companies with a portfolio that is balanced between commercial and defense; those with a substantial amount of commercial business will see their way through difficult times."

Aviation Week's highly regarded Top-Performing Companies study identifies relative strengths and weaknesses in A&D companies' operational performance and evaluates how well they are executing business strategies. Proprietary metrics have been refined over the past 15 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. This year, scoring was expanded to include segment-level results and metrics. The data and rankings are a frequently cited industry baseline for determining which companies are likely to flourish and those that are vulnerable.

To read the articles, methodology and complete rankings, visit the PricewaterhouseCoopers-sponsored website at http://aviationweek.com/tpc or become an AWIN subscriber at http://aviationweek.com/awin. A free TPC webinar will also be offered on June 9 at 1 p.m. ET, http://aviationweek.com/events. The TPC awards ceremony will take place at the Paris Air Show; attendees can visit Aviation Week in Chalet D44.

About Aviation Week:

Aviation Week, part of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the largest multimedia information and services provider to the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries, and includes http://AviationWeek.com, Aviation Week & Space Technology, Defense Technology International, Business & Commercial Aviation, Overhaul & Maintenance, ShowNews, Aviation Daily, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, The Weekly of Business Aviation, Aviation Week Intelligence Network and MRO Links. The group also produces major events around the world.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global financial information and education company that helps professionals and students succeed in the knowledge economy. With leading brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts energy information services and J.D. Power and Associates, the Corporation has approximately 21,000 employees with more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2010 were $6.2 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

SOURCE Aviation Week