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Safety Components to Buy Largest North American Airbag Fabric Supplier

1 July 1997

Safety Components to Acquire Largest Supplier of Fabric to the North American Automotive Airbag Industry

    - Company Estimates Acquisition Will Add Over $80 Million in Revenues -

    COSTA MESA, Calif., July 1 -- Safety Components
International, Inc. , one of the world's leading manufacturers
of automotive airbags, announced today that it has entered into a definitive
purchase agreement with JPS Automotive, L.P., a recently acquired subsidiary
of Collins & Aikman Corporation to acquire its Air Restraint and
Technical Products Division.  This acquisition is expected to add over $80
million to Safety Components' revenues, resulting in consolidated revenues in
excess of $200 million.
    Under the $56.3 million cash acquisition, Safety Components will purchase
the assets and assume the operating liabilities of the Air Restraint and
Technical Products Division, including 18 looms scheduled for delivery before
the closing.  In addition, Safety Components will assume existing debt of
under $1 million in the form of capitalized leases.  The Company is currently
negotiating the purchase of a 350,000-sq. ft. building directly adjacent to
the existing manufacturing facility for an estimated purchase price of
approximately $1.25 million dollars.
    Consummation of the agreement is subject to certain conditions, including
a financing condition.  Financing for this acquisition is expected to be
obtained from the proceeds of the issuance of $80 million in 10-year senior
subordinated debt securities.  The balance of the proceeds will be used to
repay existing bank debt.
    The Air Restraint and Technical Products Division, operating out of
Greenville, South Carolina, is the largest supplier of fabric to the airbag
industry in North America with an estimated 40 percent market share.  The
Division has as customers all major tier-one suppliers, including TRW, Allied,
Delphi and AutoLiv (formerly Morton).  The Division will operate as a wholly-
owned subsidiary of Safety Components, and key members of the Division's
senior management team will remain with the company upon completion of the
acquisition.
    "This acquisition, which continues the industry's consolidation trend,
represents an outstanding opportunity for Safety Components," stated Robert A.
Zummo, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Safety Components
International.  "The addition of the Air Restraint and Technical Products
Division fits our strategic plan to become the industry's global, low-cost
leader in airbag fabric and cushion manufacturing and enhances the timing of
our China joint venture by enabling us to introduce the Division's technical
weaving capabilities to that continent.  This acquisition is expected to be
accretive to Safety Components' earnings during the first year of ownership,
will further vertically integrate our airbag business and could result in
significant opportunities to grow the company both internally and through
further acquisitions."
    This release contains forward-looking statements.  There are certain
important factors that could cause results to materially differ from those
anticipated from the statements made above.  These factors include, but are
not limited to: the ability of Safety Components International to consummate
the financing necessary for the acquisition of the Division and the continued
performance by the Division at, or above, historical levels; world-wide
automotive sales; automotive labor strikes or business interruptions;
fluctuations in world-wide economic conditions; dependence of revenues upon
several major module suppliers and pricing pressures.  Additional information
on these and other factors that could potentially affect the Company's
financial results may be found in the Company's filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission.
    Safety Components International, Inc. is an international manufacturer of
automotive airbags and a supplier of ordnance and other related defense
products with manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia.

SOURCE  Safety Components International, Inc.