Vibracoustic North America L.P. Acquires Gates AirSprings

NVH Supplier Expands Air Spring Technology Offering for Auto and Truck Markets; Gains North American Production Capability

PLYMOUTH, Mich., Feb. 10 -- Vibracoustic North America, L.P., the vibration control business of Freudenberg-NOK, announced today that it has acquired the assets of Gates AirSprings, a division of Denver, Colo.-based Gates Corp. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

According to Dr. Pierre Y. Abboud, president of Vibracoustic North America, the acquisition will provide the company with North American engineering and production capacity, as well as enhance Vibracoustic's ability to serve its automotive and heavy truck customers. The acquisition brings together the capabilities of Gates AirSprings for the sport utility vehicle (SUV) and light truck segments and Vibracoustic's unique axial air spring technology for passenger cars and conventional bellows for heavy truck applications.

"As a Technology Specialist in vibration control, we are committed to delivering the latest NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) innovations to our customers," Abboud said. "The acquisition of Gates AirSprings will enhance our product portfolio and ensure that we continue to meet our customers' growing need for total vehicle solutions.

"Our first order of business is to work with current Gates AirSprings customers to ensure a smooth and transparent transition."

The main Gates AirSprings manufacturing operation is located in Lerma, Mexico and currently employs approximately 110 associates at its 50,000- square-foot facility.

Abboud said that the Gates AirSprings acquisition will help accelerate Vibracoustic's development of next-generation air spring systems that will be lighter and cost less, while improving ride and comfort.

The Gates AirSprings purchase complements the Vibracoustic Europe recent acquisition of Phoenix Airspring in Hungary, specializing in air spring technology for heavy trucks. With these deals combined, Vibracoustic is in the unique position to offer complete and specialized air spring technology for passenger car, SUV, light truck, and heavy truck and trailer applications worldwide.

With specialized product development teams in the United States and Europe, Vibracoustic will be the only company that can serve the local automotive industry with the latest global air spring technology available.

Unique Axial Technology

Vibracoustic's unique axial air spring offers vehicles improved ride characteristics over coil springs and traditional air spring systems, since it minimizes damping by using only one layer of fiber reinforcement for the diaphragm.

While this axial air spring technology debuted on high-end European luxury vehicles, it is now affordable for a wide range of high-volume vehicles in both Europe and North America.

A leading supplier of vibration control products and producer of microcellular urethane NVH components, Vibracoustic North America offers design solutions and a broad portfolio of components and packages, including engine mounts, bushings, body and cradle mounts; jounce bumpers; and torsional vibration dampers through its Vibration Control Technologies, LLC joint venture.

Vibracoustic also offers unique capabilities for complete noise path analysis, intense focus on analytical techniques and an expanded product line that includes suspension air springs, conventional and hydraulic chassis bushings, dynamic tilgers and other innovative NVH components. For more information, visit the Vibracoustic website at http://www.vibracoustic.com/ .