Hastings Manufacturing Co. to Market Zollner(R) Pistons

   Agreement with Karl Schmidt Unisia, Inc. will increase customer service

    HASTINGS, Mich., March 27 Hastings Manufacturing Company
(Amex: HMF), a leading U.S. piston ring manufacturer, today announced it has
signed an agreement to become the exclusive marketer and distributor of
Zollner(R)-brand pistons in the United States and Mexico.
    Hastings Manufacturing said the agreement with Karl Schmidt Unisia, Inc.
(KUS) is designed to leverage Hastings' domestic sales presence and increase
customer service.  Hastings Manufacturing said its nationwide sales and
distribution infrastructure would begin selling Zollner pistons alongside its
own well-known Hastings(R) brand of piston rings, which the company began
making in 1923.
    Under the agreement, Hastings Manufacturing will provide promotion, sales,
distribution and administration of Zollner pistons in the United States and
Mexico.  KUS, an affiliate of Kolbenschmidt Pierburg AG, a German-based
supplier to the gasoline/diesel engine manufacturing industry, will provide
manufacturing and technical support of the pistons.  The pistons will be
manufactured at a KUS facility in Marinette, Wisc.  Additional terms were not
disclosed.
    "With this agreement, Hastings Manufacturing will be able to offer two
very complementary engine parts -- pistons and piston rings -- to domestic
engine parts warehouses, production engine rebuilders and aftermarket
retailers," said Mark R.S. Johnson, president and co-CEO of Hastings
Manufacturing.  "While we have focused our worldwide sales on our core piston
ring products, this alliance represents a one-of-a-kind opportunity to
maximize the Zollner name, which has a long history as a top-quality brand of
pistons, and to offer pistons to our customer base."
    Zollner has been a leading name in the design and manufacture of pistons
and power cylinder assemblies.  It has its roots in Fort Wayne, Ind., where
the son of its founder, the late Fred Zollner, also established the Fort Wayne
Zollner Pistons basketball franchise in 1941.  The team later moved to Detroit
to become the NBA's Detroit Pistons.  Zollner grew to become a major supplier
of OEM pistons.  In May of 1999, Zollner became a part of Karl Schmidt Unisia,
Inc., the North American operation of Kolbenschmidt Pierburg AG and became a
part of a global gasoline/diesel engine components supplier.
    "The alliance with Hastings represents a logical and dynamic step in our
efforts to make the most of our desire to grow our aftermarket segment.
Through the premier sales and distribution team of Hastings Manufacturing, we
are committed to making this work," said Frank Pohlmann, KUS president and
CEO.  "We are confident this alliance will yield positive, long-term results
for both our customers and our brands."
    Hastings Manufacturing expects the new venture will contribute a modest,
positive impact to the company's financial results in 2001.  The company
expects to roll out sales of the Zollner pistons over the next several
quarters in select geographic markets.
    Hastings Manufacturing Company serves the automotive market with piston
rings, mechanics' specialty tools and additives for engines, transmissions and
fuel systems.  The piston rings and mechanics' specialty tools, available
under the "HASTINGS" brand name, are marketed primarily through independent
warehouse distributors, retailers and, on a limited basis, direct to original
equipment manufacturers.  The additives products available under the
"CASITE(R)" brand name are marketed through The Casite Company, a joint
venture that markets both directly and through independent representatives.
Canadian distribution of all products is handled through a wholly owned
subsidiary, Hastings, Inc. located in Barrie, Ontario.  During 1999, Hastings
began to distribute and administer products for other U.S.-based suppliers
into the Canadian market.  These products complement the current piston ring
offerings as to both distribution channels and customer base.
    Karl Schmidt Unisia, Inc. is a division of Kolbenschmidt Pierburg AG, a
listed corporation (M-DAX) that is active all over the world with sales of
modules and systems "around the engine" worth 1.8 billion Euro in 2000.
Production sites are in Europe, North and South America, as well as China.
    Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995: The statements contained in this news release include certain
predictions and projections that may be considered forward-looking statements
under securities laws.  These statements involve a number of important risks
and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially,
including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental and
technological factors affecting the company's operations, markets, products,
services and prices.