Grammer Appoints Heinz-Juergen Otto as New CEO

    AMBERG, Germany--March 12, 2003--Heinz-Juergen Otto, 53, has been selected to be CEO of Grammer AG, a leading supplier of specialty automotive seating systems. He joined the Grammer Management Board as deputy CEO on January 1, 2003, and will succeed Dr. Bernd Blankenstein, 64, as CEO at the beginning of May, when Blankenstein's contract is scheduled to expire.
    Otto studied plastics engineering and began his career at the Plastics Division of Hoechst AG. From 1974 to 1992, he was employed by General Electric Corporation, where he held various positions with increasing responsibility, ultimately managing a division generating annual sales of several hundred million euros.
    In 1992, he became a member of the Board of Landis & Gyr Corp. in Switzerland, a manufacturer of systems for facilities automation.
    From 1996 to 2001, Otto was president of the Composites Division of Owens Corning, a global producer of fiberglass products, headquartered in Toledo, Ohio.
    Most recently, Otto was president of Johnson Controls' automotive business in Europe. Johnson Controls is a global leader in automotive seating and interior systems.
    An outstanding entrepreneur with strong experience in global operations, Otto will continue the strategy initiated by Dr. Bernd Blankenstein, who has been CEO of Grammer AG since July 1, 2000.
    Blankenstein has carefully steered the company through a troubled period, and brought it back on course for sustained success. He moved the company forward by setting up a global network, decentralizing the group's organization and implementing a policy of consistent restructuring. Blankenstein is expected to join the Grammer AG Supervisory Board.
    Other members of the Grammer AG Board of Management retain their positions. They are: Uwe Woehner, 43, Automotive Division; Peter Nagel, 55, Seating Systems Division, and Alois Ponnath, 44, director of central commercial departments for Grammer Group.
    Grammer Automotive, a division of Grammer AG, designs and manufactures interior specialty systems for passenger cars and light trucks, including head restraint and armrest systems, child booster seat modules and other trim components.
    Headquartered in Amberg, Germany, Grammer AG has 7,400 employees worldwide and manufacturing facilities in twelve countries. Sales for Grammer AG for the 2000-2001 fiscal year totaled more than $700 million, with approximately $100 million in North America. Grammer has manufacturing facilities in Piedmont, S.C.; Queretaro and Puebla in Mexico, an office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is establishing engineering and program management capability in the Detroit area.
    More information about Grammer Automotive is on the web at www.grammer.com.