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The Woodbridge Group is Honored as a 1998 Automotive News Pace Awards Semi-Finalist

21 November 1997

The Woodbridge Group is Honored as a 1998 Automotive News Pace Awards Semi-Finalist

    DETROIT, Nov. 21 -- The Woodbridge Group was selected as a
semi-finalist in the 1998 PACE (Premier Automotive supplier's Contribution to
Excellence) Awards program by Ernst & Young LLP and Automotive News.
    The PACE Awards recognize standout automotive suppliers who have excelled
in adapting and reinventing their companies or their products to meet the
growing service and quality demands of their customers -- the world's major
automotive manufacturers.
    This is the first year the PACE Awards program has awarded the semi-
finalist status, which recognizes exceptional contributors to the automotive
industry.  The eight semi-finalists and 14 finalists were selected from a
record setting 65 applicants.
    The Woodbridge Group was honored for its innovative structural foam
technology used in rear-seat frame applications. This new product helps take
cost, weight and time out of the development and production of rear-seat
systems. The structural foam frame is already providing several interior
integrators with a less expensive, lighter-weight alternative to metal frames.
    Structural foam tooling is being developed in 12 to 14 weeks, versus an
average of 24 to 26 weeks to develop tooling and welding fixtures for metal
frames. Continuous improvement in part design for increased comfort or safety
is easy with structural foam, because changes in tooling can be made quickly
to modify part performance.
    Structural foam frames can be manufactured on the same production line as
the pad assembly. This allows elimination of all the added cost and labor
related to packing, shipping, receiving, handling and warehousing that are
required when a metal frame is purchased from another supplier.
    Semi-finalists will be recognized prior to the announcement of the winners
at an awards ceremony at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI, on Sunday,
February 22, 1998.
    The Woodbridge Group is the largest global supplier of polyurethane foam
products for the automotive interiors market, supplying foam products for
seating, headliners, occupant protection and acoustical applications.
Woodbridge is also a leading manufacturer of commercial foam products,
supplying the healthcare, bedding, furniture, heavy truck/RV and clothing
markets.   For more information visit the Woodbridge web site at
http://www.woodbridgegroup.com.

SOURCE  The Woodbridge Group