Flexible Manufacturing Strategies Is Focus Of Automotive News Manufacturing Conference

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 26 -- Matt DeMars, vice president, Vehicle Operations, North America, Ford Motor Company and Tom Stallkamp, industrial partner, Ripplewood Holdings Inc. highlight a roster of automotive executives who will explore the flexible strategies manufacturers use to build vehicles in North America at the 2005 Automotive News Manufacturing Conference. The event is slated for June 13 - 15 at the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham, Ala.

Titled "The Flexible Future," the conference will emphasize automakers' ability to assemble a variety of vehicles in the same plant.

In addition to individual morning and keynote dinner speakers, the Automotive News Manufacturing Conference will feature an afternoon panel discussion, "Forecasting, Build-to-order, Order-to-delivery: Delivering What the Customer Wants."

  Also sharing professional insights will be:
  *  James T. Bolte, vice president, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama,
     Inc.;
  *  Charles Ernst, vice president and plant manager, Honda Manufacturing of
     Alabama, LLC;
  *  Dan Gaudette, senior vice president, North American Manufacturing and
     Quality Assurance, Nissan North America;
  *  Jeffrey Gaudiano, department manager, Plant Structural Planning,
     Control of Production and Distribution, BMW Manufacturing Co.;
  *  Ron Harbour, president, Harbour Consulting;
  *  Dr. Sean McAlinden, chief economist, vice president for research,
     Center for Automotive Research; and
  *  Keith Wandell, vice president and president, Automotive Group, Johnson
     Controls.

The program will also feature a live presentation via satellite from Stuttgart, Germany by:

  *  Bill Taylor, president and CEO, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International; and
  *  Hans-Heinrich Weingarten, executive vice president, Mercedes Car Group
     Production, DaimlerChrysler AG.

Rounding out the conference's agenda are VIP tours of the Mercedes-Benz plant.

The Automotive News Manufacturing Conference attracts hundreds of executives from OEMs and supplier companies involved in manufacturing, purchasing, logistics, information systems, technology and engineering.

Registration for the Automotive News Manufacturing Conference, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz U.S. International and SAP, is $745 per person. Gala Dinner- only tickets, including pre-dinner reception, are available for $175 per person or $1,750 for a table of ten. A complete agenda and online registration are available at http://www.autonews.com/manufacturing . For information, call 313-446-0326.