Vibracoustic Tunes Vibration Solutions on Motor Trend Cars of the Year

PLYMOUTH, Mich., Jan. 15 -- With the Ford Thunderbird's selection as Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 2002, Vibracoustic North America has extended its winning record, by supplying vibration control components on seven of the past eight Car of the Year winners.

In addition to providing microcellular urethane (MCU) jounce bumpers for the Ford Thunderbird, the company has supplied these and other noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) components -- such as engine mounts, spring isolators, spring seats and cradle mounts -- and engineered tuning solutions on six previous Motor Trend Car of the Year winners: the 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser, the 2000 Lincoln LS, the 1999 Chrysler 300M, the 1998 Chevrolet Corvette, the 1996 Dodge Caravan and the 1995 Chrysler Cirrus.

``It's no coincidence that our company has provided vibration control products for the Motor Trend Car of the Year in seven of the past eight years,'' said Paul J. Parent, president of Vibracoustic N.A. ``As we step up our involvement and work with automakers on total NVH solutions, we hope to help our customers win additional awards ... and even wider recognition for their quiet, comfortable vehicles.''

Parent projects that consumer demand for quieter vehicles will drive a 5 percent compounded growth over the next five years in the North American NVH market.

``Vibracoustic will have a significant share of that growth because we are one of the only companies that can fully support the vibration control of any vehicle,'' he said.

``Rather than addressing vibration and noise problems after a vehicle has been developed, automakers are beginning to work early in the product development stage with a supplier that can offer deep technical expertise and experience in NVH,'' Parent said. ``So, in addition to providing vibration control technology, we're increasingly bringing NVH-related analytical and design expertise to automakers ... and helping them to design-in world-class ride and quietness from the very start.''

A leading supplier of vibration control products and North America's largest producer of microcellular urethane NVH components, Vibracoustic North America offers leading NVH design solutions and a broad portfolio of components and packages, including engine mounts, torsional vibration dampers, body and cradle mounts and jounce bumpers. It also offers unique capabilities for complete noise path analysis, an intense focus on analytical techniques and an expanded product line, which includes suspension air springs, conventional and hydraulic chassis bushings, dynamic tilgers and other innovative NVH components.

Vibracoustic North America was formed in 1999 by Freudenberg-NOK to sharpen the focus of the company's growing NVH business and to align the unit with counterpart companies in Europe, Brazil, Japan, Korea and India to create a global automotive vibration control enterprise, Vibracoustic Worldwide.

The company operates production facilities in Ligonier, Ind. and Manchester, N.H. In addition to serving the automotive/industrial market, Vibracoustic also offers products and services to other customers -- such as theatre seat and agricultural equipment manufacturers -- requiring its special expertise.

Plymouth, Mich.-based Freudenberg-NOK is part of the Freudenberg and NOK Group Companies, which have total annual sales of nearly $7 billion. With global automotive sales of approximately $4 billion, the Freudenberg and NOK Group ranks among the 15 largest OEM automotive suppliers (per Crain's Detroit Business) and is one of only eight in the top 100 that has global balance in each of the three major automotive markets -- Asia, Europe and North America (according to Automotive News).