One integrated supply chain

We are committed to customer satisfaction as the primary driver of our business model evolution and as such are moving rapidly to provide a singular face to our served markets. This approach to the marketplace can only be successful with a parallel singular approach to our supply chain.

For us, supply chain means from ore in the ground to product obsolescence. We understand that competition is no longer simply company to company, but rather, supply chain to supply chain. We further understand that many of our competitors utilize some of the same key suppliers that we do. To the degree that we do a better job of integrating our supply chain than our competitors do, we create competitive advantage and improved financial results for the entire supply chain .

Because we also know that a loosely coordinated group of companies cannot possibly compete with an integrated supply chain operating as a team, we are investing heavily in transforming and integrating our supply chain processes across the company. This transformation is one of our five key strategic business objectives.

We believe that to create the most competitive supply chain for our customers, we must align with the very best suppliers for each technology. We also believe that if we are to link with the best suppliers as our preferred suppliers, we must become a model customer.

The senior leadership team is united in our joint ownership of the success of this important strategic transformation. We trust you will also want to be a part of our growing success and transition to one integrated supply chain.