SICK Selected as a Finalist in the 2005 Automotive News PACE Award Competition

MINNEAPOLIS--Oct. 2, 20045, 2004--SICK, one of the world's leading manufacturers of sensors, safety systems and automatic identification products for industrial applications, today announced it has been selected as a finalist in the prestigious 2005 Automotive News PACE Award competition. The 11th annual PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence) Award is presented by Automotive News, Capgemini and Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC Inc.).

SICK was recognized for its innovative C 4000 Entry/Exit Safety Light Curtain. The C 4000 Entry/Exit Safety Light Curtain is ideal for automotive applications to keep assembly lines moving and workers safe. It is used where materials (vehicle body transport carriers) are automatically transported into a hazardous area and access by workers must be reliably safeguarded. For example, the C 4000 Entry/Exit can detect the difference between transport carriers entering a hazardous area and a person. It consolidates a number of technologies for safeguarding workers into one safety solution for automotive entry/exit applications. This safety system uses self-learning technology based on object properties such as width, speed, interobject distance and number of objects. As a result, various transport systems are automatically accepted without slowing production time, thereby increasing reliability, employee safety and reducing unnecessary down time on a production line.

"SICK is honored to have been selected as a finalist for such a prestigious award and that the company is being recognized among an elite group of automotive suppliers," commented Alberto Bertomeu, president of SICK North America. "The C 4000 Entry/Exit is a completely new concept for automotive safeguarding applications that is already making an operational impact at our customers' facilities worldwide," Bertomeu continued.

Recognizing superior innovation, technological advancement and business performance, the Automotive News PACE Award is open to suppliers that contribute products, processes, materials or services directly to the manufacture of cars or trucks. The award is accepted around the world as the industry symbol of innovation.

SICK is a finalist in the Manufacturing Processes and Capital Equipment category, which recognizes game-changing innovations in the design and implementation of solutions that enable companies to improve operational performance or delivery of services.

SICK, along with other Automotive News PACE Award finalists, will undergo an extensive review process - including a site visit - by industry, academic and business leaders to select award winners, to be announced at a ceremony in Detroit on April 11, 2005.

For complete details about the 2005 Automotive News PACE Award, including a listing and profile on SICK, visit www.automotivenews.com/pace, www.us.capgemini.com/PACE or www.trcpg.com/pace.htm.

About SICK

SICK is one of the world's leading manufacturers of sensors, safety systems and automatic identification products for industrial applications. With more than 350 patents, SICK continues to lead the industry in new product innovations. The diversity of its product line allows SICK to offer solutions at every phase of production in the automotive, packaging, machine tools, electronics, food and beverage, and material handling markets. SICK was founded in 1946 and has operations or representation in 65 countries worldwide.