Editor's Note An In-plant Casualty

This isn't the first time a well-run Top 50 in-plant has been outsourced—Tenet Health System ranked number 40 on 1998's list, only to be taken over by a facilities management firm the next year.

The outcome at USAA underscores the reality that no in-plant, no matter how large or how well run, is immune to being shut down once upper management gets the notion to do so.