Hella Forms Minority Joint Venture With Craft-Co

PLYMOUTH, Mich., May 19, 2004 -- Hella North America and Craft-Co Enterprises, Inc. have formed ILUMA, a minority-owned joint venture to supply automotive interior-lighting systems.

ILUMA will combine Hella's interior lighting expertise with Craft-Co's electronics manufacturing capability to develop and produce a wide range of emerging automotive interior-lighting products, according to Joe Borruso, president and CEO of Hella North America.

Craft-Co, headquartered in Morton, Miss., specializes in switch and wiring assemblies and has been supplying components to Ford Motor Company since 1988. Also a DaimlerChrysler parts supplier, the company is QS 9000/ISO 9001 certified and has received Ford's Q1 certification and Chrysler's Gold Pentastar quality award.

James H. Finley, president and owner of Craft-Co, will serve as ILUMA's chairman and CEO. He said that the new company already has booked its first interior lighting contracts, and others are expected to follow shortly.

"ILUMA will capitalize on Craft-Co's reputation as a successful, highly regarded U.S.-based automotive supplier and Hella's global, cutting-edge expertise in the fields of lighting and electronics," Finley noted.

ILUMA's headquarters and production operations will be located at Craft-Co facilities in Morton, Miss. Sales support will be provided from Hella's North American headquarters in Plymouth, Mich.

"Customer reaction to ILUMA has been positive and supportive," said Joe Borruso, who noted that the joint venture will offer a full range of design, development and sales-support services.

About Hella

Lighting, electronics, complete vehicle modules, air conditioning systems, vehicle wiring systems and signal processing for the automobile industry, as well as automotive aftermarket components, are the core competence fields of automotive supplier Hella KG Hueck & Co. Sales for the Hella Group are approximately $3.8 billion, placing Hella among the top 100 German industrial companies.

With its corporate headquarters in Lippstadt, Germany, the company employs more than 22,800 people at 61 manufacturing facilities, production subsidiaries and joint-venture companies in 18 countries. Over 1,800 engineers and technicians work in research and development. All of the world's leading automobile and systems manufacturers are Hella customers, as well as the automotive components aftermarket.

  Additional information is available on the Internet at www.hella.com .

  About Craft-Co

Craft-Co Enterprises, Inc. is an automotive electrical and electronics component manufacturer specializing in switch and wiring assemblies as well as components for small motors. The company produces and ships more than 20 million parts annually to over 100 global automakers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, South America and Australia.

Craft-Co has been recognized by the State of Mississippi and the U.S. Commerce Department for its excellence in quality and manufacturing, and its ability to export goods to foreign markets.

Additional information is available at www.craftco.net .