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FANUC Named GM Supplier of the Year

27 April 1998

FANUC Receives GM Supplier of the Year Award

    ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich., April 27 -- The FANUC Group of
Companies has been named by General Motors as a worldwide Supplier
of the Year for 1997.  The FANUC Group of Companies includes FANUC LTD of
Oshino-mura, Japan, and its subsidiaries -- FANUC Robotics Europe S.A.,
headquartered in Echternach, Luxembourg, and FANUC Robotics North America,
Inc., headquartered in Rochester Hills, Mich.
    FANUC received the GM Supplier of the Year Award from General Motors
Worldwide Purchasing at an international ceremony on Saturday, April 25, in
Mexico City.  The award was accepted on behalf of the company by Eric
Mittelstadt, chairman and chief executive officer of FANUC Robotics North
America, and Pete Planchock, president and chief executive officer, FANUC
Robotics Europe.
    The GM Supplier of the Year awards began in Germany more than 20 years ago
and were expanded to all of GM Europe in 1989, becoming an international award
in 1992.  During the 1997 calendar year, teams of purchasing, quality,
engineering and manufacturing experts from GM operations around the world
reviewed supplier performance in order to identify those companies that
exceeded specific performance standards in the areas of quality, service and
price.  FANUC was among 182 recipients selected for the award from a GM
supplier base of more than 30,000 companies.
    "FANUC demonstrated throughout 1997 that it is among the 'Best of the
Best' suppliers for robots and robotic systems," said Harold R. Kutner, GM's
vice president for Worldwide Purchasing and North American Production Control
& Logistics.  "FANUC is truly globally competitive and, by virtue of this
award, is recognized as a worldwide leader in product development, technology,
manufacturing, continuous improvement, value and most importantly, quality."
    According to FANUC Robotics' Mittelstadt:  "It is an honor to receive this
prestigious award from General Motors -- a customer we have partnered with for
many years.  It is fitting that the GM Supplier of the Year award is based on
value, service and quality, because these are the characteristics that define
FANUC.  Our unique philosophy of looking at a customer's entire manufacturing
process and developing ways to improve total productivity results in more
product manufactured in less time at less cost.  This makes us an invaluable
resource to the value-minded manufacturing marketplace.
    "As the world's leading supplier of robots and robotic systems, we have
worked with more than 4,000 customers to develop innovative, reliable and
cost-effective solutions to their manufacturing needs," said Mittelstadt.
"With 57,000 robots in service in more than 20 countries around the globe, we
have the experience and resources to meet any automation need -- anywhere in
the world."
    The FANUC Group, the world's leading supplier of industrial robots and
robotic systems, has facilities in 24 countries around the world, including
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines,
Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and
throughout the United States.
SOURCE  FANUC Robotics