sunflash-Distributed to mailing list sun/NC/north-carolina sunflash-Send requests, problems to owner-sunflash@suntri.east.sun.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash Sun Named World's Best-Run Computer Company SunFLASH Vol 62 #15 February 1994 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 62.15 Sun Named World's Best-Run Computer Company Germany's top business publication, Manager Magazin, named Sun the world's most successful and best-run computer company. Sun was ranked fourth most successful U.S. company. (104 lines) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUN MICROSYSTEMS NAMED WORLD'S BEST-RUN COMPUTER COMPANY MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- February 8, 1994 -- The German office of international workstation leader Sun Microsystems reported today that Germany's top business publication, Manager Magazin, named Sun the world's most successful and best-run computer company. The publication joined forces with experts at the Boston Consulting Group, conducting a study that ranked Sun ninth among the most successful publicly traded enterprises throughout the top 14 industrial nations. Sun was ranked fourth most successful U.S. company overall after, respectively, Home Depot, Intel and Motorola. Criteria for this ranking included above-average annual growth rate, continuous revenue growth over the last three years and a demonstrated consistency in both economic strength and profitability year over year. Benchmarks against which these factors were measured included: total shareholder return and a comparable analysis of relative total shareholder return, which took into consideration fluctuating currencies and varying influences of national stock market conditions. Additionally, the study focused on cash flow return on investment. In an industry beleaguered by diminishing profits and restructuring charges, this ranking is viewed as a significant achievement. "More than any other computer company, we are practicing what we preach," commented Gert Haas, marketing director for Sun Microsystems GmbH. "We are achieving competitive advantage by `rightsizing' our own information system to a total Sun client-server solution. As we tell our customers, this lowers costs and improves business processes." Another factor in the success of Sun and other winners, the study stated, was a singular vision and focus on core competencies. Sun's innovative business model includes a streamlined, effective corporate organization and close attention to asset management that is in line with today's competitive, bottom-line-dependent computer industry. The company's asset and balance sheet management continues to produce excellent results, with such metrics as inventory turns, days sales outstanding and revenue per employee among the best in the industry. In its most recent quarter, Sun posted a 27% increase in operating income compared to last year. Another recent industry report indicated that Sun continues to strengthen its worldwide position. The computer/office equipment category of Fortune magazine's Global 500 listing ranks Sun as the third most profitable company in the world in that category in terms of profits as a percentage of sales and assets. Sun moved up to number 395 from 429 in the most recent "Guide to the Global 500". Sun Microsystems, Inc. is an integrated portfolio of businesses that supply distributed computing technologies, products and services. Its innovative, open client-server computing solutions include networked workstations and multiprocessing servers, operating system software, silicon designs and other value-added technologies. According to analysts, the company's products command the largest share of one of the computer industry's fastest growing market segments: workstations and servers. Founded in 1982, Sun is a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Mountain View, California. # # # (c) 1994 Sun Microsystems, Inc. Sun, the Sun logo, and Sun Microsystems are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All SPARC trademarks, including the SCD Compliant logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. 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