Freudenberg-NOK Team Honored with Platinum Award at Marketing & Sales Executives of Detroit Gala

PLYMOUTH, Mich., May 8, 2006 -- To honor their exemplary success, dedication and collaboration, a team of Freudenberg-NOK associates recently received the Platinum Award from the Marketing & Sales Executives of Detroit (MSED) at the 14th annual Detroit Gala.

The team, lead by Tim Guzman, director of sales and marketing, included Anthony Joquico, application engineer, Rich Hamed, account manager, and Dave Sakata, vice president of technology.

"This is an extraordinary recognition for our company and a testament to our innovative sales and marketing department," said Richard Allen, senior vice president, commercial processes and president of automotive for Freudenberg-NOK. "The team demonstrated excellent teamwork by developing new concepts and approaches to address customer wants and needs at all levels of design, quality, manufacturing, timing to launch and delivery."

According to MSED, the Platinum Award winners were evaluated on their track records in sales, utilizing new ideas or approaches, meeting challenges imaginatively, exhibiting exemplary teamwork, exceeding business goals and impacting a business or industry.

The Freudenberg-NOK sales team, as well as the Northfield, N.H. axle- focused factory engineering and support team, combined their experience and expertise to utilize a "clean sheet approach" to develop, design and create a "Best in Class" pinion seal design. The new design increased sales and market share, while greatly reducing warranty exposure with Freudenberg-NOK seals.

The Platinum Awards are co-sponsored by Crain's Detroit Business magazine.

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/ .