Michael Hankel Appointed New Head of ZF Lenksysteme GmbH; Pierre Abboud Named President ZF Lenksysteme North America

NORTHVILLE, Mich.--ZF Lenksysteme (ZFLS) – a leading worldwide automotive supplier of steering technology – appointed Michael Hankel as the group’s top executive, and named Pierre Abboud President, ZFLS North America.

Hankel, 50, joined ZF in 2003, and had been a member of the ZF Board of Management, responsible for ZF Sachs AG – the Powertrain and Suspension Components Division of ZF. The new position is effective Dec. 1, 2007.

With experience in mechanical engineering, Hankel has held various positions within the automotive industry in Germany with companies such as ITT Automotive, Continental-Teves, and FAG Automobil Technik.

Abboud, 46, joins ZFLS from Vibracoustic, a division of Freudenberg-NOK North America, where he was President and CEO. He has also held several senior-level positions at major Tier-1 suppliers.

In his new position, Abboud will be responsible for all activities within the region. He will be based out of the ZFLS facility in Hebron, Ky.

He earned a Doctorate degree in industrial engineering and a Master’s degree in electrical engineering from Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio.

ZF Lenksysteme GmbH (ZFLS) is a joint venture which is owned by Robert Bosch GmbH (Bosch) and ZF Friedrichshafen AG (ZF). The company was founded on January 1, 1999 and is headquartered in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. ZFLS maintains a global presence with 17 sites in 10 countries. These sites are concentrated in Europe, North America, South America and Asia.

ZFLS posted sales of $3.4 billion during 2006, and employs around 9,400 worldwide.

ZF Lenksysteme develops, manufactures and markets steering technology for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Along with complete steering systems, the product range includes components such as steering columns, steering gears, steering pumps, valves, universal joints and steering shafts. ZF Lenksysteme ranks as one of the technology leaders in the steering market.

For more info: www.zf-lenksysteme.com