Lear Honored by GM as a Supplier of the Year

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., April 25 -- Lear Corporation was named as a General Motors Supplier of the Year for its overall business performance in providing GM with world-class parts and services. The award was given during ceremonies Saturday, April 23, at the General Motors Vehicle Engineering Center in Warren, Mich.

"Our Supplier of the Year winners are the Best of the Best and Lear Corporation is part of this elite group based on their outstanding performance in 2004," said Bo Andersson, vice president, GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. "Its balanced focus on performance and behavior support GM's priorities, and make it a role model for suppliers worldwide."

Lear was named Supplier of the year for Global Interiors. Lear's global presence has assisted GM in successfully launching 20 programs this year and Lear continues to focus on quality, applying lessons learned for each progressive launch. In 2004, Lear contributed to significant savings with the flawless execution of business transition as well as on technical cost reduction.

"This award, which recognizes our strong customer focus and dedication to excellence, is a tribute to the entire Lear team," said Bob Rossiter, Lear Chairman and CEO. "Our global engineering and manufacturing operations support our commitment to continually improve our systems and quality processes to deliver cost-effective solutions and flawless product launches."

The GM Supplier of the Year award began as a global program in 1992. Winners are selected by a global team of executives from purchasing, engineering, manufacturing and logistics who base their decisions on supplier performance in quality, service, technology and price. This year, General Motors honored 78 suppliers for their excellence throughout 2004.

Lear Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Southfield, Mich., USA, focuses on integrating complete automotive interiors, including seat systems, interior trim and electrical systems. With annual net sales of $17 billion in 2004, Lear is one of the world's largest automotive interior systems suppliers. The company's world-class products are designed, engineered and manufactured by more than 110,000 employees in 34 countries. Further information about Lear and its products is available on the internet at http://www.lear.com/ .

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