| AAR'S DON WETEKAM INDUCTED INTO SHINGO PRIZE ACADEMY
WOOD DALE, ILLINOIS (October 18, 2007) - Don Wetekam, President, AAR Aircraft Services - Oklahoma, has been inducted into the Shingo Prize Academy. The Shingo Prize Academy consists of individuals who have distinguished themselves in the area of manufacturing and operational excellence. Wetekam accepted the honor at the Shingo Prize 3rd Annual Public Sector Awards Ceremony held October 11, 2007 in Washington D.C. He is one of the first two members to be inducted into the Academy as a result of their work in the public sector.
"I am very honored to be inducted into the Shingo Academy and included among such a distinguished group," said Don Wetekam. "It's a special privilege to be one of the first two inductees recognized for their work in the public sector and be able to contribute to operational excellence and continuous improvement in the private sector at AAR."
Wetekam previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Installations and Logistics with the U.S. Air Force, and currently leads operations at AAR's 300,000-square-foot, full-service maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility at Will Rogers World Airport, as well as AAR's Hot Springs, Arkansas and Roswell, New Mexico MRO facilities.
The Shingo Prize is regarded as the premier manufacturing award recognition program for North America. The Shingo Prize philosophy is that world-class business performance may be achieved through focused improvements in core manufacturing and business processes. As part of the Shingo Prize mission and model, the Academy highlights the value of using lean/world-class manufacturing practices to attain world-class status.
About AAR AAR is a leading provider of products and value-added services to the worldwide aerospace/aviation industry. Products and services include proprietary inventory management and logistic support services; maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft and aircraft components; engine and aircraft sales and leasing; and manufacturing of aircraft parts and mobility systems. Headquartered in Wood Dale, Illinois, AAR serves commercial and government aircraft fleet operators and independent service customers throughout the world.
This press release contains certain statements relating to future results, which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions and estimates based on information currently available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated, including those factors discussed under Item 1A, entitled "Risk Factors", included in the Company's May 31, 2007 Form 10-K. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize adversely, or should underlying assumptions or estimates prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described. These events and uncertainties are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many are beyond the Company's control. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions that may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. For additional information, see the comments included in AAR's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. |