ROCHESTER, N.Y.--Sept. 28, 2005-- Xerox Corporation's New York-based manufacturing operations have been named "Assembly Plant of the Year" by Assembly magazine, a leading industry publication for manufacturing and design engineers, managers and assembly professionals. Xerox's plant in Webster, N.Y., operated by the Worldwide Production Systems Manufacturing group, produces the company's flagship production printers and digital presses, including Xerox iGen3, Xerox Nuvera(TM) and DocuTech. The plant earned the highest scores in four key categories: improved use of existing and new technology, reduced production costs, increased productivity, and improved product quality. "We had several exceptionally strong candidates for the award, which made the final decision difficult," said Austin Weber, senior editor, Assembly magazine. "In the end, it was Xerox's 'turnaround story' that truly impressed the judging panel. "Xerox's manufacturing transformed its assembly from traditional methods to a more specialized technically advanced approach." Applicants included manufacturers in a variety of industries including aerospace, automotive, consumer products and industrial machinery. The five finalists were all Fortune 100 companies and part of the "Assembly Top 50," an annual list compiled by Assembly magazine that ranks U.S. manufacturers. Xerox is also on the "Top 50" list. "Being recognized as 'Assembly Plant of the Year' by Assembly magazine is a tribute to both our innovative processes and the quality of our people. We have increased our customer focus and are delivering world-class production products across five continents, while continuously evolving to remain competitive," said Wim Appelo, vice president of Xerox's Paper, Supplies and Supply Chain Operations, which includes Worldwide Production Systems Manufacturing. The "Assembly Plant of the Year" award was established in 2004 to showcase manufacturing facilities that have applied world-class processes to reduce production cost, increase productivity, shorten time to market, or improve product quality. The award was open to all manufacturers that assemble products in the United States.