October 19, 2004 -- In our first-ever Supplier of the Year Awards, Quad/Graphics recognized those suppliers that were an essential part of our team in 2003. “We can’t do our job well without our suppliers’ extraordinary performance on our behalf,” said Dave Blais, Quad/Graphics' Vice President of Operations. “The Supplier of the Year award was not only a chance to thank them, but to give them the knowledge that will make them a stronger partner in helping us achieve ongoing cost reductions. We at Quad appreciate the efforts everyone has made to contribute to our success, but the job is not done. The mandate for 2005 is to continue to drive cost out of the process.” Dozens of representatives from the 15 winning companies gathered at our Sussex, Wis., plant on September 15 for a dinner and awards ceremony. Celebrating with the Quad employees who work most closely with them, our supplier-guests had a chance to tour the plant and get the inside scoop on our operations. Stringent Selection Process Determining the award recipients was a nine-month process, combining an extensive supplier self-assessment, an objective survey and the subjective experience of end users at Quad. Representatives from each department at Quad spent several months developing the questionnaire and survey, looking at performance measures such as order fill rate and on-time delivery. They also considered how closely each supplier reflects Quad’s values, such as quality improvement, environmental stewardship and community involvement. Of the 338 companies polled, almost half returned the survey. The responses were audited for accuracy and the top 20 percent in each category were asked to provide additional documentation to validate the results. Next, end users at Quad with first-hand knowledge of the suppliers completed a survey evaluating the performance of the top 10 percent. To ensure no supplier was overlooked by the screening process, Quad end users could also nominate a wild card supplier who had not made it to the top tier. Any company nominated by more than 20 percent of the Quad respondents was reconsidered by the selection team. Three winners then were chosen in each of the five categories, representing the broad spectrum of suppliers who do business with Quad. Recognition Boosts Performance The award goes beyond simply recognizing and thanking our outstanding suppliers, explained Art Noe, Director of Corporate Purchasing for Quad/Graphics. “Research tells us that these kinds of award programs actually improve supplier performance. When suppliers know what matters most to your company, good suppliers become even better. Even suppliers who didn’t win an award still come up a winner.” And the winners of Quad/Graphics' 2003 Supplier of the Year Awards are … Capital Expenditures Gold: Domino Amjet, Inc. Silver: Goss International Web Press and Finishing Division (formerly Heidelberg) Bronze: Bauer-Logistik-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG Service/Administrative Gold: Corporate Express Silver: Sysco Food Services of Eastern Wisconsin Bronze: Spic & Span Maintenance/Repair/Operations Gold: Earle M. Jorgensen Company Silver: ITW/Signode Bronze: Professional Control Corporation Consumables Gold: Fuji Hunt Photographic Chemicals, Inc. Silver: H.B. Fuller Bronze: Sun Chemical Ink Outsource Services Gold: Western States Envelope & Label Silver: Zalk Josephs Fabricators Bronze: Ad Tape & Label