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AAIG Board Officers Elected

8 July 1998

Board Officers Elected: Chrysler's Zimmer Named Chairman of the Board For The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG)

    SOUTHFIELD, Mich., July 8 -- Stephen E. Zimmer, director for
new generation vehicle programs for Chrysler Corp. , has been elected
chairman of the board of directors for the Automotive Industry Action Group
(AIAG) -- a not-for-profit trade association of nearly 1,400 North American
auto and truck manufacturers and their suppliers.  The announcement was made
by Richard T. Simmons, AIAG executive director on loan from Ford Motor Co.
    "We are honored to have Steve serve as AIAG's chairman of the board,"
Simmons said.  "His experience and insight as one of the principal architects
of Chrysler's Extended Enterprise and his attention to integrating total
supply chain improvements will be a tremendous asset to the AIAG and its
initiatives."
    Zimmer has served on AIAG's board of directors since 1994.  He was vice
chairman of the AIAG board for the past year.
    The 21-member AIAG board of directors -- representing a wide cross-section
of AIAG's member companies -- consists of senior industry executives from
automakers, truck manufacturers and suppliers.  The board provides strategic
direction and oversees the activities of AIAG's cooperative industry efforts.
    A 26-year auto industry veteran, Zimmer is currently responsible for
leading Chrysler's activities in the Partnership for a New Generation of
Vehicles (PNGV) -- a cooperative research and development project between
Chrysler, Ford, General Motors Corp. and seven federal government departments.
    Prior to this, he held numerous director-level positions in Chrysler's
Procurement and Supply organization, including: director - Platform Supply;
director - Operations and Strategy; director - Supplier Quality and
Development; and director - Worldwide Source Development. He joined Chrysler
in 1983 after 11 years with Ford.
    Other officers named to AIAG's board of directors for 1998-99 are:

      * James W. Lloyd of UT Automotive to vice chairman;
      * Jack R. Loeffler of Ford to treasurer;
      * Leslie J. Connolly of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. to secretary; and
      * Roger N. Sergeant of IBM to past chairman.

    Founded in 1982, the AIAG is a not-for-profit trade association of nearly
1,400 automotive and truck manufacturers and their suppliers.  Originally
recognized for its efforts to standardize electronic data interchange and bar
code standards to assist Tier One suppliers, the AIAG's mission has expanded
to cover all levels of the automotive supply chain as well as to include
numerous programs and initiatives aimed at improving its members' productivity
and quality.
    More information about the AIAG and its AUTO-TECH 98 Conference &
Exposition can be found at its website at http://www.aiag.org.