Two Executives Named to Key Jobs at GKN Sinter Metals

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Feb. 14, 2006 -- Rich McCorry has been named president of North American Operations for GKN Sinter Metals and Thomas Roethig has been appointed senior vice president -- Sales and Marketing, according to Andy Reynolds Smith, the company's president and CEO.

McCorry succeeds Richard Best, who recently retired after 34 years with the company. Best also served as GKN Sinter Metals' senior vice president for sales and marketing, the position being assumed by Roethig.

A Pennsylvania native, McCorry is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. He previously was a vice president of the Barnes Group, where he served as president of its Associated Spring business unit -- the largest spring manufacturer in North America. He also has held senior management positions at Textron, Lear and Masland Industries.

Formerly GKN Sinter Metals' vice president for global sales, Roethig is based in Radevormwald, Germany. He joined the company in 1998 as director of operations for its Radevormwald Filters plant. He previously held management positions at Fraunhofer Gesellschaft and Hoechst AG in Germany and Celanese Mexicana in Mexico.

Both McCorry and Roethig also will serve on the company's global Executive Team.

"Richard Best has served GKN with distinction and dedication since 1973," Smith noted. "His outstanding career has been marked by professionalism, integrity and an unwavering focus on customer satisfaction. The company's first employee in the United States, he was instrumental in establishing GKN's presence in North America."

Fluent in several languages, McCorry holds degrees in commerce and engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia and has completed the Executive Management Program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He has resided and managed businesses in Mexico, Italy and the U.K.

McCorry lives with his wife and daughter in suburban Detroit.

Roethig graduated from the University of Hanover in Germany with a degree in mechanical engineering. He has a master's degree from the University of California and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Stuttgart. He also has completed a business administration program at the European Business School in Germany. In addition to German, he also is fluent in English and Spanish. He has lived and worked in a number of countries, including Germany, Mexico and the United States.

Roethig resides with his wife and two sons in Schwelm, Germany.

GKN Sinter Metals, with more than 30 locations worldwide and business assets spanning 15 countries on five continents, has annual sales approaching $1 billion. It is the world's leading producer of precision powder-metal components. The company employs some 7,000 people and produces more than 10,000 different parts for automotive and other industrial markets. GKN Sinter Metals is a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.K.-based GKN plc, a global industrial company.