Behr Dayton Thermal Plant Hosts Ohio Gov. Taft

DAYTON, Ohio, Oct. 6 -- Ohio Governor Bob Taft visited the Behr Dayton Thermal Products plant Oct. 4, 2005 to learn more about the progress of the company's multi-million-dollar plant renovation and expansion project. The Governor also took time to learn about the difficulties Behr and other automotive suppliers are facing in doing business in Ohio.

Since the acquisition in 2002, Behr America has invested more than $100 million in its Dayton plant. Dayton Thermal currently employs more than 1,800 people.

"We've made a number of improvements to the facility since we took over management of the plant in 2002," said Frank Mueller, president and CEO of Behr America, who hosted the visit. "Governor Taft's visit was a great opportunity to showcase the progress we've made to date."

Dean Arneson, vice president and general manager at Dayton Thermal, accompanied the governor on his plant tour as well.

Behr America acquired the 80,000-square-foot Dayton Thermal Plant from DaimlerChrysler in 2002. Since then, in addition to DaimlerChrysler, the plant has added General Motors, BMW and Mercedes-Benz to its list of customers.

"Our goal is to do business with most, if not every, car manufacturer in North America," Arneson said.

With annual sales of about $600 million, Behr Dayton Thermal produces heating, ventilation and air-conditioning modules, evaporators, engine cooling modules, vapor canisters, plastic valves and spare parts.

Headquartered in Troy, Mich., Behr America has nearly 3,000 employees at facilities in Troy, Mich.; Dayton, Ohio; Charleston, S.C., and Fort Worth, Texas.

Parent Behr GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart, Germany, is a systems partner for the international automobile industry. A specialist for automotive air conditioning and engine cooling systems, the Behr Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers and suppliers of original equipment for passenger and commercial vehicles. Group sales in the 2004 business year came to around $3.9 billion.

Currently, Behr employs approximately 16,900 staff at 30 development and production sites in Europe, North and South America, South Africa and Asia. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.behrgroup.com/ .

NOTE TO EDITORS: Digital images are available by contacting Jan Krol at +1-248-647-8621, jkrol@usautocom.com