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Lear Corporation to Launch Operation in Portugal

16 July 1998

Lear Corporation to Launch Operation in Portugal

    PALMELA, Portugal, July 16 -- Lear Corporation
announced a major expansion of its European presence today, signing a contract
with the Portuguese Government that will create an automotive seat trim
manufacturing operation in this community near the capital city, Lisbon.
    The new operation could employ in excess of 4,000 people in the year 2000
and will provide product for virtually all of the European customers served by
Lear.  The new operations will include more than 400,000 square feet of
manufacturing, engineering, and office space, built on a 30 acre site in the
Palmela region.
    "This new program represents our first major investment in Portugal,"
said Terry O'Rourke, group vice president of Lear's Ford and Seat Trim
Divisions.  "The new venture demonstrates Lear's long term commitment to our
European customers and to the region's automotive market.  We plan to bring
the expertise gained in our North American seat cover operations, the world's
largest and most efficient in the industry, to the new operations in Palmela.
We expect to consolidate current and future production of a majority of
European customer requirements for automotive seat covers into this single
location.  We are particularly pleased with the level of support and
cooperation we've received from local officials and from the Portuguese
government in developing this new enterprise."
    A Fortune 500 Company, Lear Corporation is one of the world's largest
automotive suppliers, with 1997 sales of $7.3 billion.  The company's world-
class products are designed, engineered and manufactured by more than 54,000
employees in over 190 facilities located in 28 countries.  Information about
Lear and its products is available on the Internet at http://www.lear.com.