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Freudenberg-NOK, International Seal Co. to Merge O-Ring Businesses

9 June 1998

Freudenberg-NOK, International Seal Co. to Merge O-Ring Businesses

    PLYMOUTH, Mich., June 9 -- In a move to better serve the
American markets and round out global supply capabilities, Freudenberg-NOK and
International Seal Co., Inc. today announced that the two companies have
reached an agreement to merge their respective O-ring businesses.  The
announcement was made jointly by Freudenberg-NOK CEO Joseph C. Day and
International Seal Chairman Harry Railton.  The two companies have
signed a letter of intent and expect to complete the agreement by July 1,
1998.
    The new company will be conducted under the name of International
Seal and will be headquartered in International Seal offices in Henderson,
Nev.  It will have manufacturing facilities in Santa Ana, Calif., Henderson,
Nev. and LaGrange, Ga., with affiliated plants in Cuautla, Mexico and
Sao Paulo, Brazil.
    Day and Railton said the new company will be an integral part of the
global O-ring business of the $6 billion Freudenberg and NOK Group Companies
-- which have annual O-ring revenues in excess of $300 million, O-ring plants
in the United States, Mexico, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia and China, with
distribution capabilities for O-rings in 24 countries around the world.  The
new company will represent over 20 percent of the group's global O-ring sales.
    "The merger of our O-ring business with International Seal enables us to
provide a broader portfolio of industrial products to customers worldwide,"
Day said.
    The executive management team of the new company will include Railton, who
will continue to serve as CEO, and Skip Marvick, who will continue to serve as
president of the new and expanded International Seal.
    International Seal is a leading supplier of industrial O-rings for the
aerospace, semiconductor, chemical process and other related industries.  It
is the fastest growing O-ring company in America with special focus on unique
materials and low-cost processes.
    Headquartered in Henderson, Nev., ISC also has operations in Virginia,
England, Canada, Mexico and Australia.
    Plymouth, Mich.-based Freudenberg-NOK is part of the Freudenberg and NOK
Group Companies, which have total annual sales of more than $6 billion.
    Through a global network of facilities spanning 24 countries with
some 21,500 employees worldwide, the supplier group offers an extensive
portfolio of precision-molded products for the aerospace, appliance, business
machine, fluid power, marine, medical, off-highway equipment and recreational
vehicle markets.
     The Freudenberg and NOK Group also offers its automotive customers
globally integrated products, including total sealing packages for engines,
transmissions and brakes, NVH components and modules, and all rubber, plastic
and PTFE components for suspension, steering, electrical and fuel systems.