Tower Automotive Hires Bill Pumphrey as President of North American Operations

NOVI, Mich.--Dec. 1, 20047, 2004--Tower Automotive, Inc. today announced that Bill Pumphrey, 45, will join the company as president of North American operations, effective January 3. Pumphrey will report to Kathleen Ligocki, president and chief executive officer of Tower Automotive.

"Bill brings over 20 years of global senior management experience with automotive OEMs and suppliers," said Ligocki. "We look forward to his leadership as we continue moving aggressively to implement lean manufacturing initiatives and improve our operational performance."

Previously, Pumphrey spent five years at Lear Corporation, where he headed several business units. Most recently, Pumphrey was president of Lear's Asia Pacific Division, responsible for revenues of $1.8 billion. He also led the company's European Ford Division and the Global DaimlerChrysler Division. He has an extensive domestic and international automotive industry background and has been responsible for a wide array of global OEM customers.

In addition, Pumphrey's prior experience includes marketing and product planning positions with General Motors, and senior commercial and general management positions with United Technologies.

"I look forward to leading Tower Automotive's North American operations," said Pumphrey. "This is an opportunity to collaborate with Tower's leadership team to guide the company toward continued profitability, and I plan to actively leverage Tower's strengths - its technical expertise, broad range of products and entrepreneurial spirit."

Pumphrey holds a bachelor's degree from Kenyon College, Ohio, and a master's degree from the University of Michigan.

Tower Automotive, Inc., is a global designer and producer of vehicle structural components and assemblies used by every major automotive original equipment manufacturer, including BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Fiat, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai/Kia, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. Products include body structures and assemblies, lower vehicle frames and structures, chassis modules and systems, and suspension components. Additional company information is available at www.towerautomotive.com.