K-C named winner of 2011 Dick Clark Supply Chain Award by Consumer Goods Technology magazine for excellence in improvements in supply and demand planning, execution or network design

Michelle Rivera

DALLAS , October 26, 2011 (press release) – Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB) today announced that it has been named winner of the 2011 "Dick Clark Supply Chain Award" by Consumer Goods Technology (CGT) magazine.

Named for the supply chain visionary, the award – presented October 25 at the Consumer Goods Business and Technology Leadership Conference in Orlando – honors the consumer goods company that best demonstrates excellence in executing improvements in supply and demand planning, execution or network design.

Kimberly-Clark's supply chain improvements are primarily the result of its shifting from traditional practices toward a demand-driven consumer value chain, where responsibilities are now shared between the company and its supply chain partners.

The results of the effort – which started as a "lean" (cost savings) journey in late 2007 but subsequently evolved into a culture of continuous improvement, transformation and innovation – include halving internal cycle times, reducing the number of warehouses by almost 70 percent and reducing total supply chain costs, while increasing on-shelf availability.

"Kimberly-Clark is honored to receive the CGT Dick Clark Supply Chain Award in recognition of the outstanding innovative supply chain improvements our teams throughout Kimberly-Clark have executed over the past few years," said Julia Smith, vice president of North Atlantic Consumer Products, Research & Engineering & Supply Chain Center of Excellence. "Supply chain performance is an important competitive advantage in the consumer goods sector today. The improvements we've made with our supply chain transformation allow us to operate more effectively and more efficiently, which enables us to continue to better serve our customers."

Kimberly-Clark was selected as one of five finalists by CGT's editorial team based on a nomination submitted by Terra Technology for the company's demand-driven successes. CGT's Research and Editorial Advisory Board – which includes senior-level executives from Procter & Gamble, Newell Rubbermaid, Gartner, Nestle, Accenture and PepsiCo – chose Kimberly-Clark as the first place winner in the Supply Chain Excellence category.

"It was clear to CGT and its advisory boards that Kimberly-Clark is a frontrunner when it comes to supply chain excellence, and that's why we recognized the company with the Dick Clark Supply Chain Award," said Alliston Ackerman, editor, CGT. "The consumer goods community as a whole will undoubtedly learn and benefit from the advancements that Kimberly-Clark has made in its quest to operate a demand-driven consumer value chain."

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people – nearly a quarter of the world's population – trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, HUGGIES, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 139-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com.

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