AIAG Names Goodyear Executive to AIAG Board of Directors

DETROIT, Dec. 16, 2004 -- The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) announced today that Tom Bender, director, information technology-North American Tire (NAT) for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, has been appointed to the association's board of directors.

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"AIAG is delighted to have Tom join the board of directors," said Linda Plawecki, acting executive director. "His extensive experience in information technology will be beneficial to AIAG as we continue to develop standards and processes that improve the automotive industry."

Bender joins the board that represents a cross-section of member companies from automakers, truck manufacturers and suppliers. The board provides strategic direction and oversees AIAG's collaborative efforts to enhance the global automotive supply chain, including initiatives in automatic identification, collaborative engineering and product development, e-commerce, electronic data interchange, early warning signs, finance, materials management, occupational health & safety, quality, regulatory issues, returnable containers, telecommunications and truck & heavy equipment.

Bender has more than 30 years of experience in information technology at Goodyear. In his current role, he is responsible for information technology operations for NAT, a $7 billion division of Goodyear with operations in the United States and Canada. Previously, he was manager, integration and projects, where his responsibilities included the implementation of special projects with the NAT division's enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. His prior positions include business process manager-supply, plant controller of the company's Fayetteville plant in North Carolina and applications systems manager. He began his career as a staff member in information technology.

Bender holds a Master of Science degree in management and Bachelor of Science degree in economics and social science from Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Md.

A native of Cumberland, Md., Bender resides in Canton, Ohio.

Founded in 1982, AIAG is headquartered in the metro Detroit area. Its member companies include North American, European and Asia-Pacific OEMs and suppliers to the automotive industry with combined annual sales of more than $850 billion. A not-for-profit association, AIAG's primary goals are to reduce cost and complexity within the automotive supply chain and to improve speed to market, product quality, employee health-and-safety and the environment. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.aiag.org/ .

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