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Tower Automotive's Bellevue Unit Awarded QS-9000 Certification

25 March 1998

Tower Automotive's Bellevue Unit Awarded QS-9000 Certification

    DETROIT, March 25 -- The Bellevue, Ohio business location of
Tower Automotive announced it has received QS-9000 certification for its
quality management systems in the production of light and medium and truck
frames.  This award is the culmination of quality control efforts that began
in August 1997.
    "The QS-9000 certification demonstrates our ability to consistently
deliver high-quality products to our customers," said Bob Donegan, in charge
of the Bellevue facility.  "We are proud to be among an exclusive group of
companies that have been recognized for meeting such superior quality
standards.
    The Tower Automotive Bellevue unit manufactures the full frame for the
Ford Econoline, which is assembled by Ford in Lorraine, Ohio.  A designated Ql
Ford supplier, the plant produces 200,000 frames annually and has been
providing them to Ford Lorraine since 1991.
    The QS-9000 certification assessment, conducted by American Quality
Assessors of Columbia, S.C., is a rigorous 23-stop systems evaluation that
assures quality in production for companies manufacturing to a standard
design.
    To gain QS-9000 certification, the Bellevue plant had to first document
its operating procedures and then prove that all its colleagues were actually
following them, a process that took approximately six months to fully
implement.  Second, the independent certifying agency (AQA) thoroughly audited
Tower Automotive's implementation of QS-900O.  The agency compared  Tower
Automotive's quality manual with the international standard and verified its
consistency, and confirmed that Bellevue's quality practices actually matched
the procedure in the manual.
    Upon successful compliance, the Bellevue unit received a registration
certificate and its name was published as a registered company.  The
registration must be renewed, and the company must periodically be audited to
ensure ongoing compliance with QS-9000.
    Tower Automotive, Inc. produces a broad range of stamped and
welded assemblies for vehicle body structures and suspension systems for
automotive manufacturers, including Ford, Chrysler, General Motors, Honda,
Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Fiat, BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes.  Products include
body structural assemblies such as pillars and package trays, control arms,
suspension links, engine cradles and full frame assemblies.  The company has
its operating headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich., and a corporate office in
Minneapolis, Minn.

SOURCE  Tower Automotive, Inc.