Karl Schmidt Unisia Opens New Engineering/Test Facility in Fort Wayne

FORT WAYNE, Ind., March 23 -- Kolbenschmidt Pierburg's North American piston company, Karl Schmidt Unisia, Inc. has completed construction of a new engineering and test center in Fort Wayne, Ind.

The center is part of the nearly $40 million that the company has invested in the market over the last two years and replaces the company's previous test center in South Haven, Mich.

The new 19,000-square-foot facility is located on-site at one of the division's three manufacturing facilities in North America. The state-of-the- art lab offers customers a full range of engine test capabilities, including durability, noise and temperature.

"The new test center is outfitted with the latest equipment and allows us to be extremely responsive and efficient when it comes to our customers' needs," said Don Cameron, vice president of sales and marketing for Karl Schmidt Unisia, Inc. "We have designed the test lab to be extremely flexible, which translates to a reduction in downtime during engine and test changes and, ultimately, to a reduction in overall costs."

The lab features six dynamometers, real-time temperature telemetry, sound quality and noise identification as well as multiple types of cyclic and steady-state tests from 10 to 940 horsepower. The facility offers its test services to its OEM customers as well as other manufacturers and engine component builders.

As recognized leaders in powertrain technology, Kolbenschmidt Pierburg engineers offer their expertise on a broad range of environmental and performance-related challenges. In addition to localized testing, the company has recently implemented a worldwide standardized development process. Nicknamed OPUS, the process streamlines and optimizes the development of pistons from initial concept to production, offering savings in both time and cost.

A leading supplier of pistons, automotive oil and water pumps, electric throttle control, bearings, secondary air systems and electric exhaust gas recirculation valves, Kolbenschmidt Pierburg has three North American units -- Pierburg, Inc., Karl Schmidt Unisia, Inc. and KS Bearings, Inc. -- with production facilities in Fountain Inn, S.C.; Greensburg, IN; Fort Wayne, IN; Marinette, WI, and Leamington, Ontario, in addition to its North American sales offices in Southfield.

Kolbenschmidt Pierburg AG is a subsidiary of Rheinmetall AG. The company has approximately 11,500 employees at its five automotive divisions. Global sales for its Aluminum Technology, Motor Parts, Pierburg GmbH, KS Pistons and KS Bearings divisions totaled nearly $2.1 billion in 2003. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.kolbenschmidt-pierburg.com .