TEWKSBURY, Mass. and TUCSON, Ariz., Feb. 28, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) is the recipient of two North American Shingo Prizes for Operational Excellence for 2008.

Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems' (IDS) Integrated Air Defense Center, Andover, Mass., will receive a Shingo Silver Medallion Award, and Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS) Camden, Camden, Ark., will receive a Shingo Bronze Medallion Award.

The prestigious North American award, termed the "Nobel Prize of Operational Excellence," recognizes the ongoing efforts of the employees at these two facilities to use world-class manufacturing strategies and practices to achieve world-class results.

This is the first time Raytheon has been recognized with two North American Shingo awards in the same year. Raytheon has two other sites that have received the North American Shingo Prize: the RMS facility in Louisville, Ky., in 2007, and the RMS facility in Tucson, Ariz., in 2004.

In addition to the North American Shingo Prize, two Raytheon IDS centers have been awarded Northeast Shingo Prizes: the Integrated Air Defense Center in 2005 and 2006, and the Maritime Mission Center in Portsmouth, R.I., in 2006 and 2007.

"We are proud to be recognized as an Operational Excellence leader with this award," said Dan Ryan, vice president of Operations at IDS. "It is our goal to get everyone engaged in continuous improvement, which we refer to as 'Everybody, Everyday.' This prize reflects another validation of our commitment to our never-ending pursuit of perfection."

The 3,500 Raytheon employees at the Integrated Air Defense Center make subcomponents for a variety of military systems and perform integration on major programs such as the Patriot missile and advanced military radars for land and sea-based applications.

"This highly regarded award is the result of a team effort by our Camden employees that has focused our efforts on the application of lean manufacturing principles," said Randy Graham, general manager for RMS' Camden All-Up-Round Operation. "Everyone was deeply involved in this achievement, from our hourly employees to our supervisors to our managers. As a high- functioning team, they've demonstrated that world-class manufacturing performance can be the result of concentration on core manufacturing and business processes throughout an organization."

The RMS facility in Camden, Ark., has 120 employees and manufactures the Tomahawk Cruise Missile, Standard Missile, and Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile. The facility also provides depot services, or refurbishment, for these same missile systems.

The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence recognizes manufacturers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and is administered by the College of Business, Utah State University. Awards will be presented at the 20th Annual Shingo Prize Conference and Awards Ceremony to be held April 3, 2008, at the Adams Mark Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

Raytheon Company, with 2007 sales of $21.3 billion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning more than 85 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 72,000 people worldwide.

Note to Editors:

The Shingo Prize was established in 1988 to promote awareness of lean manufacturing concepts and recognize companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico that achieve world-class manufacturing status.

More information on the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence is available at http://www.shingoprize.org/.

  Contacts:
  John Nelson                         Chuck Larrabee
  Missile Systems                     Integrated Defense Systems
  520.794.7810                        978.470.5553
  John_H_Nelson@raytheon.com          Chuck_S_Larrabee@raytheon.com

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

CONTACT: John Nelson, +1-520-794-7810, John_H_Nelson@raytheon.com, or
Chuck Larrabee, +1-978-470-5553, Chuck_S_Larrabee@raytheon.com, both of
Raytheon Company

Web site: http://www.raytheon.com/
http://www.shingoprize.org/