Freudenberg-NOK to Supply Total Sealing Package To New 2004 Cadillac XLR and SRX Northstar Engine

PLYMOUTH, Mich., Oct. 8 -- Freudenberg-NOK announced today that it is supplying a total sealing package for the next generation Northstar engine to General Motors Corp. for the 2004 Cadillac XLR roadster and SRX luxury utility vehicle.

This is the first time GM Powertrain has sourced all of the seals for an engine to Freudenberg-NOK.

As the single-source sealing supplier, Freudenberg-NOK is providing complete on-site application engineering support and global key account management, and is responsible for the accountability, efficiency and warranty coordination of the entire sealing program. In addition, Freudenberg-NOK is also providing technical training, launch service testing and support with incident return failure analysis and warranty analysis, and on-site support for tear-down analysis, wherever necessary.

"Engine sealing is a major issue, since fluid leaks are among the most common warranty items for North American automakers," said Richard E. Allen, chief executive officer, automotive, for Freudenberg-NOK. "We see the total sealing approach as a means to help our customers reduce warranty, while increasing reliability and durability for lower total cost."

The sealing package includes 22 part numbers and components being provided by five separate Freudenberg-NOK facilities in the United States.

Freudenberg-NOK currently has 14 total sealing packages for engines, transmissions and axles in various stages of production and development -- significantly more than any other supplier.

By taking a total sealing approach and beginning work with customers in the early development stages, Freudenberg-NOK is able to benchmark competitive products, audit production processes and identify advanced seal materials and designs that are expected to help these systems meet extended performance or warranty requirements.

"As a Technology Specialist in sealing, Freudenberg-NOK works closely with the customer to examine all the factors that affect sealing integrity, such as mating surfaces, fasteners and assembly processes," Allen said. "Applying our design and materials expertise, we can develop a complete package of robust seals and gaskets, gain the efficiencies of one-stop shopping, conduct value- analysis/value engineering studies and incorporate design for Six Sigma and lean production processes that can drive even greater reliability, performance and efficiency."

Plymouth, Mich.-based Freudenberg-NOK is part of the Freudenberg and NOK Group Companies, which have total annual sales of nearly $7 billion. With worldwide automotive sales of approximately $4 billion, the Freudenberg and NOK Group ranks No. 2 in global balance among top automotive suppliers (according to Automotive News International - Sept. 2001) and among the top 20 largest OEM automotive suppliers (per Crain's Detroit Business - July 8, 2002).

In 2001, Freudenberg-NOK and its partners in the global Freudenberg and NOK Group produced nearly one in four of all of the fluid seals used on the light vehicles manufactured around the world.