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Donnelly Corporation Begins North American Assembly of Electrochromic Mirrors

24 September 1997

Donnelly Corporation Begins North American Assembly of Electrochromic Mirrors

    HOLLAND, Mich., Sept. 24 -- Donnelly Corporation
today announced that it has begun assembling electrochromic (EC) mirrors in
the United States, making it the only automotive supplier with EC assembly
operations in North America and Europe.
    For its first North American EC program, Donnelly is assembling an
estimated 34,000 GLAREFREE(TM) electrochromic mirrors each year for the
Chrysler Sebring at its 128th Avenue mirror facility in Holland, Michigan.
Until now, all of Donnelly's EC mirrors and mirror cells were produced and
assembled at Donnelly Mirrors, Limited in Naas, Ireland.
    "The move to begin assembling EC mirrors in North America reflects the
growth we have seen in our EC business overall," said Dwane Baumgardner,
Donnelly chairman and chief executive officer.  "The reality is that the
global auto industry will increasingly demand that suppliers have the
capabilities to source locally, whether that means Europe, North America or
other markets."
    Donnelly currently supplies EC mirrors to the Big Three automakers as well
as to Mercedes-Benz and Mitsubishi for North American production.  Donnelly's
mirror plant in Holland, Michigan houses the company's interior mirror product
line, from which the company supplies interior mirrors to automotive customers
around the world.  In fact, Donnelly's Holland operations are the world's
largest producer of automotive interior mirrors.  With the addition of the
North American electrochromic assembly capabilities, the company strengthened
its lead as the only "one-stop shop" for automotive vision products.
    Using Donnelly's patented GLAREFREE technology, the electrochromic mirrors
dim automatically to reduce unwanted headlight glare.  A number of studies
have shown that the reduction in glare achieved by electrochromic mirrors
reduces driver fatigue and improves driver reaction time during night-time
driving, along with increasing driver comfort.
    Donnelly Corporation is an international automotive supplier, dedicated to
serving customers around the globe with high-quality fabricated, molded and
coated glass products.  Donnelly is the world leader in automotive mirror
systems, and holds over 30 patents that cover electrochromic technologies.
The company has sales of almost $700 million, and today employs nearly 5000
people in 10 countries around the world.  Donnelly is also recognized as a
leader in the application of participative management, and was named as one of
the "Top Ten" in the book, The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America.

SOURCE  Donnelly Corporation