Behr America Will Invest $100 Million in Dayton Area

    DAYTON, Ohio--Feb. 11, 2002--Behr America will invest $100 million to expand and modernize its newly acquired Dayton Thermal Products facilities here over the next three years.
    Hans Lange, president of Behr America, announced the company's investment plans, noting that Behr expects to expand Dayton Thermal's customer base in North America and substantially increase Behr's share of the automotive climate control and engine cooling markets.
    The Chrysler Group and Behr America signed an agreement on February 11 for the ultimate sale of Dayton Thermal Products to Behr. Behr will immediately assume operational responsibility for the facilities while Chrysler Group will maintain a minority interest for two years to assist in the transition.
    "Behr Dayton Thermal Products already has received substantial orders to supply cooling modules for other U.S. customers starting in 2004," Mr. Lange said. "With this additional business, Behr's North American market share will exceed 10 percent."
    Acquisition and investment in Dayton modernization and expansion will increase Behr's previously announced investment in North America facilities from $120 million to approximately $220 million over a 5-year period. The company opened a new multi-million-dollar manufacturing and product development center near Lansing, MI, a little over a year ago and is building a $30-million corporate headquarters and technical center in the Detroit area.
    Behr America and its parent company, Behr GmbH & Co. of Stuttgart, Germany, specialize in the design and manufacture of automotive air-conditioning and engine cooling systems. The Chrysler Group is a business unit of DaimlerChrysler AG, also based in Stuttgart.
    With annual sales of about $600 million, Behr Dayton Thermal Products employs about 2,000 people in the Dayton area and produces heating, ventilation and air-conditioning modules, evaporators, engine cooling modules, vapor canisters, PCV valves and related service parts. Its products currently are found on a variety of Chrysler Group models, including the Chrysler and Dodge Neon, Chrysler and Dodge minivans, the Chrysler PT Cruiser, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Ram.
    Behr America last year posted sales of $230 million with 1,000 employees at facilities in Michigan, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas. In North America, Behr currently produces engine cooling modules and components, Visco fan assemblies and air conditioning systems for commercial vehicles, U.S. produced European cars and specialty vehicles.
    Behr GmbH & Co. is a systems partner for the international automobile industry. A specialist in vehicle air-conditioning and engine cooling systems, the Behr Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers and suppliers of original equipment for passenger and commercial vehicles. Behr Group sales in the 2001 business year totaled approximately $2 billion. At the end of 2001, Behr employed 13,700 people at 25 production facilities in Europe, North and South America, South Africa and India.
    More information on the Behr Group is available on the Internet at http://www.behrgroup.com.