Fotofabrication Launches Fotofab Automotive Products -- FAPz; Introduces Line of Custom Replacement Accessories for Compact Performance Cars and Light Trucks

    CHICAGO--Nov. 14, 2002--Fotofabrication Corporation (Fotofab) -- a leading manufacturer of high-precision metal components used in products ranging from F-14 and A-6 fighter aircraft to heart pacemakers, has launched Fotofab Automotive Products (FAPz). FAPz introduced its growing line of aftermarket replacement accessories for "compact performance" cars and light trucks last week at the annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show in Las Vegas.
    FAPz products include metal gauge faceplates, instrument cluster bezels (background panels), truck grills and decorative signs and placards. The company employs an advanced process of photochemical machining (also referred to as chemical milling or etching) to manufacture precision metal parts. Most competitors producing similar automotive accessories rely on less advanced manufacturing processes or use far less costly materials such as plastic with silkscreening.
    The company's first products include custom fit gauge faces and instrument bezels for the Honda Civic, Acura Integra, Porsche 928 and Cadillac Escalade, as well as replacement grills for the Ford F-150. Products for additional car and SUV, pick-up and minivan models will be added rapidly over the next several months. Custom-order products for virtually any car or truck model are also available.
    "We're excited to bring jet fighter precision engineering to automotive enthusiasts who demand the highest-quality replacement parts," says Fotofab CEO Dan Brumlik. "FAPz products are designed for compact performance and light truck owners who demand high-quality accessories that set their vehicles apart from the crowd."
    Fotofab enters the automotive marketplace with more than 35 years of experience as one of the world's leading precision manufacturing and photochemical machining firms. FAPz is Fotofab's first business unit to develop and sell products directly to consumers.
    FAPz caters to two of the fastest growing, and most enthusiastic segments of automotive consumers. Introduced in the mid-1980s and dramatized by the popular film "The Fast and the Furious," the market for "compact performance" products totaled more than $1.2 billion in 2000. Even more dramatic is the rise in popularity of light trucks, which now account for nearly 50 percent of the total US market for consumer vehicles.
    Fotofabrication Corporation (Fotofab) and FAPz at 3758 W. Belmond Avenue, Chicago, IL 60618; 773/463-6211 tel.; www.fotofab.com / www.fapz.com. FAPz products are crafted at the company's Chicago manufacturing plant.