Trelleborg Automotive Forms Alliance with Tokai Rubber

    STOCKHOLM, Sweden--Feb. 28, 2001--Trelleborg Automotive, the market leader for automotive antivibration systems (with a world market share of approximately 20 %), has entered into a co-operation agreement to form an alliance with Tokai Rubber Industries, the leading Japanese supplier of automotive non-tire rubber components (Tokai's world market share in AVS is approximately 11 %).
    The Alliance has been formed in response to vehicle manufacturers' growing needs for a well co-ordinated global supply base offering consistent levels of performance and quality.
    Tokai Industries and Trelleborg's latest acquired company Laird Automotive Components (LAC) already had an agreement concerning the joint development of antivibration components for the new Renault Nissan B car. Trelleborg Automotive now wishes to develop this Alliance further. Trelleborg Automotive will act as Tokai's marketing, development and production base in Europe and South America. Tokai will offer reciprocal services in Japan and Thailand. The co-operation agreement does not yet extend to the North American market, both parties are however in discussion regarding this region.
    "The alliance offers the best solution for all stakeholders," says George Caplea, President Trelleborg Automotive. "Customers will benefit from a truly international organisation, capable of supplying systems and components for global platforms from a world-wide network of production bases. Joint research and development projects will lead to shared technology and knowledge transfer."
    Trelleborg Automotive is headquartered in South Haven, Michigan USA, and has manufacturing plants throughout the USA, Mexico, South America, Europe, Turkey, India and China. Tokai has plants in Japan, Thailand, China, Poland and the USA.
    The alliance will take effect at the beginning of March 2001.