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Textron Automotive Company Given Automotive Industries Award

20 August 1998

Textron Automotive Company Recognized for Excellence With Automotive Industries' Quest for Excellence Award

    TROY, Mich., Aug. 20 -- Textron Automotive Company -- Trim
Division has earned the Company top distinction in Automotive Industries
magazine's first annual Quest for Excellence awards.  Textron Automotive Trim
took top honors in the Body Exterior group for their exemplary performance in
price and delivery and was one of only two companies to be recipients of this
first-time award in both the Interiors and Body Exterior categories.
    "There is no greater honor than to be deemed 'the Best of the Best' from
your customers," said John A. Janitz, Chairman, President and CEO of Textron
Automotive Company.  "Optimal performance is a top priority for Textron
Automotive, which is why achieving this goal and obtaining this sort of
recognition is such an outstanding accomplishment for us," he added.
    Textron Automotive Trim ranked above average in all five criteria in the
Body Exterior category.  In addition, they received an Honorable Mention Award
for rating among the top 11 best interior suppliers scoring above average in
the five categories mentioned
    "This is an exciting award for us," said Sam Licavoli, President of
Textron Automotive Trim.  "This recognition reinforces our strong commitment
to worldclass performance and quality.  Our objective has always been to
deliver value and quality to our customer and this award sends an extremely
positive message that we are doing just that."
    Automotive Industries surveyed 1,800 of its readers involved in design,
engineering, manufacturing, purchasing and management asking them to rate the
supplier companies they work with on a regular basis.  Each respondent ranked
suppliers in five different areas: quality, price, service, delivery and
innovation.
    Recipients of this award had to score above average in the overall rating
(the average score of the five categories) and receive significant number of
mentions by the readers.  Textron Automotive was among 68 companies in 19
different categories to be honored with the Quest for Excellence.
    Textron Automotive Company Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron
Inc., is a worldwide manufacturer of automotive interior/exterior trim and
functional components with annual sales in excess of $2 billion.
    Textron Inc. is a $10.5 billion global, multi-industry company
with market-leading operations in Aircraft, Automotive, Industrial and
Finance.