TI Automotive Opens State-of-the-Art Fuel Tank Plant in Georgia

HARTWELL, Ga.--June 7, 2005--TI Automotive today opened its $30 million state-of-the-art manufacturing facility here to produce automotive fuel-tank systems.

The plant, located off Interstate 85 at Exit 177 in northeast Georgia, initially will manufacture blow-molded plastic fuel tanks and filler pipes for vehicles built in nearby Southern states by BMW, DaimlerChrysler and Hyundai.

The 145,000-square-foot plant makes TI Automotive the first manufacturer to build in the Gateway High Tech Industrial Park, developed through the Joint Development Authority of Hart, Franklin and Stephens counties in part through a State of Georgia Edge Grant funded through the OneGeorgia agency.

TI Automotive executives joined municipal, county and state officials for the program.

The TI Automotive plant initially will employ 100 people and has booked business to produce more than 480,000 automotive fuel-tank systems annually. The facility will begin pilot production in September of this year.

A majority of the jobs will be filled later this year and early in 2006. Training for many of the facility's high-tech operators is being provided by the state's Quick Start program through North Georgia Technical College.

Brian Lindsay, TI Automotive commercial managing director for Global Fuel Systems, said the company expects to reach full production of fuel-system components for the three automakers in 2006.

State officials on hand for the grand opening ceremonies included Chris Clark, Georgia's deputy commissioner for global commerce; State Senator Nancy Schaefer; Dr. Ruth Nichols, president and provider of the Quick Start program at North Georgia Technical College; Nancy Cobb, executive director of OneGeorgia Authority, Mark Lytle of the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Buddy Glazner, executive for economic development for Georgia Power.

Local officials in attendance included Jack Edmunds, chairman of the Joint Development Authority; Cary Bennett, vice chairman of the Joint Development Authority; Doug Cleveland, chairman of the Hart County Chamber of Commerce; Hartwell Mayor Matt Beasley and city commissioners; Jon Caime, Hart County administrator; Lavonia Mayor Ralph Owens; R.C. Oglesby, chairman, and the county commissioners for Hart County; Sammy Elrod, chairman, and the Franklin County commissioners, and the mayors of Royston, Franklin Springs and Carnesville.

"The warm reception and the strong spirit of cooperation we've had throughout this entire project has been truly marvelous," noted Lindsay. "We are proud to be a part of this region and to play our part in the growth of Hart, Franklin and Stephens counties."

Clark said, "Georgia is a great place to do business and we're confident that this TI Automotive facility is just the beginning of good things that are coming to this part of our state."

The new plant was designed and engineered by O'Neal Constructors of Atlanta. The firm also serves as the facility's general contractor.

TI Automotive will lease the Gateway Park site from the tri-county Joint Development Authority. Incentives provided through the State of Georgia include an Edge Grant of $650,000 funded through the OneGeorgia agency, along with state job tax credits totaling $3,000 per employee per year during the facility's first five years of operation. TI Automotive can effectively spread out the state income tax credits over a 10-year period.

"This all-new facility will use an innovative blow-molded filler-pipe process, a first for a North American automotive supplier. We will have two blow-molding press lines with an annual capacity to produce a million fuel tanks," said Manouchehr Kambakhsh, TI Automotive vice president of Global Advanced Engineering, who took part in the groundbreaking ceremony.

The Hartwell plant also will be the first TI Automotive facility to incorporate the assembly of fuel tank components, filler pipes and tanks under one roof.

TI Automotive is the world's leading supplier of fluid storage, transfer and delivery systems including brake, fuel and air conditioning applications. Based in Warren, Michigan, the company employs over 20,000 people at more than 130 facilities in 28 countries on six continents. The company's sales in 2004 totaled over $2.5 billion. Further information about TI Automotive is available on the company's website at www.tiautomotive.com.