Freudenberg-NOK Employees Walk, Jog and Run Towards a Healthier Lifestyle

Fourth Annual 'Walk for Wellness' Program Exceeds Last Year's Mileage

PLYMOUTH, Mich., Oct. 31 -- For the fourth consecutive year, Freudenberg-NOK employees made the commitment to walk, run and move towards a healthier lifestyle during the company's annual Walk for Wellness program. At the conclusion of the program, Freudenberg-NOK associates surpassed last year's total by walking more than 170,000 miles.

"We are both impressed and inspired by our employees' commitment and dedication to all of our wellness initiatives, especially the Walk for Wellness program," said Sarah O'Hare, vice president of human resources for Freudenberg-NOK. "We continually look for innovative programs to motivate our associates to strive towards a healthier lifestyle for their own benefit, as well as helping to keep healthcare costs down."

More than 1,120 associates participated in the Walk for Wellness program, which began May 31, following wellness fairs at the 24 participating facilities in North America and Mexico. This year, select plant locations joined forces with local health-related vendors to provide staff with general health information and enable them to have their blood pressure and body mass index checked.

Throughout the three-month program, associates submitted a record of their total miles achieved on a weekly basis through walking or an equivalent exercise. Seventy-five percent of participating facilities reached this year's corporate-wide goal of a minimum of 10 miles per week. Individuals who reached 100-, 175- and 250-mile increments were given incentives.

To recognize the employees who took part in the program, some Freudenberg-NOK facilities hosted "Wrap Up" parties where the "Wellness Walker" award was presented to the most dedicated participant.

Created in 2002, the Walk for Wellness program aims at motivating employees to adopt a proactive approach to their well-being. The company designed the program to encourage and challenge associates to walk their way to a healthy lifestyle. In 2004, Walk for Wellness motivated company associates to walk more than 164,880 miles.

To help associates maintain a healthy diet throughout the year, Freudenberg-NOK will implement the "Healthy Recipes" initiative beginning this winter. This program encourages employees from each plant to submit healthy recipes to be stored in a location everyone can access. Associates can then select recipes to try during the program to aid with their journey to a healthier lifestyle.

Founded in 1989, Freudenberg-NOK General Partnership is a joint venture between Freudenberg & Co. of Germany and NOK Corp. of Japan.

Freudenberg-NOK is a leader in automotive sealing and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) products and is a supplier to all automakers producing in North America, as well as all major tier one chassis and drivetrain suppliers. The company's headquarters and technical center in Plymouth, Mich. houses the most extensive supplier-operated sealing and noise and vibration testing facility in North America.

Freudenberg-NOK offers its automotive customers globally integrated products, including sealing packages for transmissions, engines, brakes, axles and steering, NVH components and packages, and all rubber, plastic and PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) components for suspension, electrical and fuel systems.

The company also offers an extensive portfolio of special precision seals for the aerospace, appliance, business machine, fluid power, marine, medical, off-highway equipment and recreational vehicle markets. For more information, visit the Freudenberg-NOK website at http://www.freudenberg-nok.com/ .

NOTE TO EDITORS: Electronic images are available by contacting Tina Sullivan at +1-248-269-1122 or tbsullivan@bianchipr.com .