North American Operations CEO James C. Orchard Leaving ZF Group

North American Operations CEO James C. Orchard Leaving ZF Group

    FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany, July 11 James C. Orchard, member
of the board of management of ZF Friedrichshafen AG and responsible for all
operations within North and South America is leaving the company, effective
July 31, 2001, to pursue other interests.
    Dr. Siegried Goll, CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen AG will take over all North
American Operations until a successor has been named.
    Wolfgang Vogel, member of the board of management and responsible for ZF's
commercial and special vehicle transmissions division will take over
responsibility for South American Operations.
    Orchard joined ZF Group in 1990 as president of ZF Lemforder Corporation
of North America, ZF's chassis division, and was appointed to President and
CEO of ZF Group North American Operations in 1997.  He joined the board of
management of ZF Friedrichshafen AG January 2000.  During his 11 years with
the company, Orchard had a significant impact on ZF's performance and success
in the North American market.  Today, North American sales account for more
than 25 percent of ZF's global total of $6 billion.
    The global ZF Group, the world's largest independent specialist for
driveline and chassis technology, is headquartered in Friedrichshafen,
Germany.  It employs more than 37,000 people worldwide and operates over 60
facilities in 17 countries.  In 2000 the ZF Group posted sales of $6 billion.
With sales of $1.2 billion in 1999 and sales of $1.8 billion in 2000, the ZF
Group in North America expects annual sales of over $2 billion by the year
2002.  ZF Group North American Operations is headquartered in Cincinnati, OH
and operates 14 production sites in the region.