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Visteon Unveils Strategy for Leading the Industry

9 September 1997

Visteon Unveils Strategy for Leading the Industry

    FRANKFURT, Germany, Sept. 9 -- A new identity, a new
organization and a new way of doing business:  That's how Visteon, the
automotive systems enterprise of Ford Motor Company , introduced its
new strategy for leading the supplier industry.
    At a news conference at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Charlie Szuluk, Ford
Motor Company group vice president and president, Visteon, said Visteon was
named and organized to capitalize on its product strengths and entrepreneurial
spirit in its drive to become the world's leader in automotive systems.
    "After 10 months of scrutinizing every aspect of the organization, our
people have created a winning formula for success," Szuluk said.  "We've
developed a strategy that is aggressive, focused and will drive success for
our customers and for us."
    Visteon, an enterprise of Ford Motor Company, combines nearly a century of
experience with an emphasis on fully integrated systems and a global marketing
plan to increase non-Ford business to 20 percent of sales.  Other key
objectives include expanding sales in emerging markets and creating new
opportunities for Visteon's extensive lineup of aftermarket products.
    Visteon is supported by a global sales and marketing effort organized into
five regions:  North America; South America; Europe, Middle East and Africa;
Asia Pacific; and China.  As part of that global strategy, each region has its
own plan to conduct customer research and staff technical specialists to
address the unique needs of customers in that market.
    The new name, Visteon, suggests an organization that is futuristic,
visionary and innovative while possessing a timeless quality.  Coined from the
words visionary and eon, Visteon is of Latin derivation and therefore
recognizable in many languages.  Its logo uses a series of "energy" dots that
suggest motion and symbolize Visteon's responsiveness to customers and speed
in developing products.
    Formerly Ford Automotive Products Operations, Visteon emerged from an
extensive internal business analysis focused on designing, developing and
delivering fully integrated systems.

    Visteon is organized into seven divisions:
    * Chassis Systems Division
    * Climate Control Systems Division
    * Electronics Systems Division
    * Exterior Systems Division
    * Glass Systems Division
    * Interior Systems Division
    * Powertrain Control Systems Division

    Within the divisions are 24 strategic business units (SBUs), which
represent the entrepreneurial foundation of Visteon:  Each unit is accountable
for its own overall profit and loss.  That means decisions will be made by
those who work closely with customers, increasing speed and responsiveness and
reducing bureaucratic overhead.
    "We're giving our people the responsibility and the authority to move
Visteon forward," said Szuluk.
    After an extensive internal product analysis, Visteon emerges with a wide
array of product lines in three distinct areas.  These areas comprise 27
systems, 10 modules and 64 component groups.  Advanced technology and
marketing efforts are supported by 30 sales, engineering and technical centers
around the world.
    Visteon's capabilities are reflected by the speed with which the
enterprise transformed itself from an internally focused organization to an
enterprise focused squarely on its customers.  In November 1996, Ford Motor
Company organized its components divisions into a single group to grow its
supplier business.
    "We always knew we had the energy and the talent," Szuluk said.  "All we
needed was a focus and a well-organized structure.  Visteon's spirit comes, in
part, from its great history and its understanding of the future."

SOURCE  Visteon Automotive Systems