Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. and ARCOP, Inc., the national supply chain cooperative for Arby’s, honored 12 of its suppliers with Red Hat Supplier Achievement Awards during the 2016 Arby’s Worldwide Franchise Convention in Orlando held September 12-14.

The Red Hat Supplier Achievement Awards recognize suppliers and distributors for their outstanding performance and superior levels of service and support to the Arby’s system.

“Arby’s supplier community is an integral part of the Brand and plays a pivotal role in its success,” said David Cox, President, ARCOP, Inc. “These awards recognize those organizations that have most exceeded expectations in the quality, service, competitiveness and innovation they’ve brought to the Arby’s system.”

The Red Hat Supplier Achievement Award for Distribution Centers went to Willow Run Foods in the upper Midwest and Northeast region, MBM Corporation – Lakeland, FL in the Southeast region and Systems Services of America – Southern California in the West region. These organizations excelled in the areas of timeliness, order accuracy and smooth billing.

Alto-Shaam and Powerhouse Dynamics received a joint Red Hat Supplier Achievement Award due to their outstanding partnership in the redesign of Arby’s cooking platform. Their innovative spirit has generated new efficiencies and achieved over 67% energy savings for ARG vs. the former platform.

Red Hat Award winner and uniform supplier CSE, Inc. has had an immediate and significant impact on Arby’s for excellent service, improved quality and lower cost. This is impressive since CSE has been Arby’s approved uniform supplier for less than two years.

Design Team Sign Company received its second consecutive Red Hat Supplier Achievement Award for its ongoing excellence in providing quality, innovative signage and customer satisfaction, which has been critical to Arby’s remodel and new unit growth initiatives.

For high-quality products, responsiveness and exceptional service, Henny Penny also received the Red Hat Award Supplier Achievement Award. Henny Penny’s fryer product has helped reduce ARG’s oil usage by 35 percent, and drives up to $2,900 per restaurant in total savings.

A proven leader in their industry, Huhtamaki N.A. received the Red Hat Supplier Achievement Award for product innovation, capital investment and competitive pricing. Huhtamaki N.A.’s far-reaching product capabilities have been pivotal to many product introductions, making them an invaluable supplier to the Arby’s system.

Mullins Food Products was recognized with a Red Hat Award Supplier Achievement Award for its unwavering support of the Arby’s system having been a supplier since the Brand’s inception in 1964. The organization has become a staple in Arby’s long-term success.

For outstanding support of the Arby’s Slider program, Rotella’s Italian Bakery, Inc. won a Red Hat Supplier Achievement Award. Over the past year, this bakery has been behind the production of many millions of top-quality slider buns and numerous other bread items for the Arby’s brand.

Arby’s is known for its meats – and this is due in no small part to the excellence of suppliers such as Smithfield Foods. Earning a Red Hat Supplier Achievement Award, Smithfield Foods worked closely on the development of four new protein items on the Arby’s menu.