Sodexo wins best “Start-Up Business Process Excellence Program" at 2012 European Process Excellence Awards

Paris, May 16, 2012 – Sodexo’s commitment to Operational Excellence was recognized at the 2012 European Process Excellence Awards, held April 26 in London. A judging panel of leading private sector experts and practitioners, organized by PEX Network*, awarded Sodexo the prize for best “Start-Up Business Process Excellence Program” at the annual event, which recognizes best performing companies in terms of Operational excellence.

For Sodexo, a world leader in Quality of Life services, Operational Excellence is a longstanding priority. Specific company actions and programs such as its lean six sigma approach and process re-engineering are widely recognized by industry professionals.

Beyond tools and methods, Sodexo bases its approach to Operational Excellence on the human factor and the expertise of its teams. Key factors identified for achieving excellence in service delivery include developing effectiveness and value, maximizing synergies and streamlining interfaces with the client as well as strengthening the spirit of partnership. Underlying all of this is the awareness and the work of employees.

Sodexo focuses its daily collaborative relationships with clients around five operational objectives:

• Strengthen quality and demonstrate added value
• Increase productivity and improve working conditions
• Encourage innovation and reward the best initiatives
• Develop greater fluidity in delivery of client services
• Optimize inventory and workspace management

Sodexo helps clients identify and eliminate all forms of waste, common to all businesses, that are detrimental to any process/service: overproduction, excess inventory, waiting-time, excessive transportation, non-value added movement and defects/rework.

To reinforce the keys to excellence with teams, Sodexo has developed a series of visual tools for sharing information and works with its customers to ensure implementation of these principles on a daily basis.

About Sodexo
Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life Services
Quality of Life plays an important role in the progress of individuals and the performance of organizations. Based on this conviction, Sodexo acts as the partner of companies and institutions that place a premium on performance and employee well being, as it has since Pierre Bellon founded the company in 1966. Sharing the same passion for service, Sodexo’s 413,000 employees in 80 countries design, manage and deliver an unrivaled array of Quality of Life services. Sodexo has created a new form of service business that contributes to the fulfillment of its employees and the economic, social and environmental development of the communities, regions and countries in which it operates.

Press Contacts
Laura SCHALK
Tel & Fax: +33 1 57 75 85 69
Email: laura.schalk@sodexo.com

Sarah PANCHBHAYA
Tel. & Fax: +33 1 57 75 84 73
E-mail: sarah.panchbhaya@sodexo.com

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* PEX Network is an online, free to join, membership portal providing process professionals with exclusive access to a library of multimedia resources from top executives on Lean Six Sigma, BPM, Operational Excellence, Continuous Improvement and other process excellence related topics.