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Johnson Controls to Supply Seat Systems For New Ford Focus

29 September 1998

Johnson Controls to Supply Seat Systems For New Ford Focus

Company to provide seats 'just-in-time'
to Ford Focus assembly operations

    PARIS, Sept. 29 -- Johnson Controls today
announced that it will supply seating systems for Ford Motor Company's
new model -- Ford Focus -- unveiled here today at the Paris Motor
Show. Johnson Controls -- one of the world's premier suppliers of vehicle
interior systems -- designed and developed front and rear seats for the new
range of cars in cooperation with the Ford Focus Program Team. The company
will manufacture seats for Ford Focus models produced in Europe beginning in
late 1998.
    The newest Ford was developed at the automaker's Small and Medium Vehicle
Center in Dunton, England and Cologne, Germany. It will be assembled starting
in Fall 1998 at two Ford plants in Europe. Working with direction from the
Ford Focus Program Team, seating systems for the Ford Focus were designed and
developed by Johnson Controls engineers in Europe and the United States. The
seats _- for the European market -_ will be produced at Johnson Controls'
"just-in-time" manufacturing plants in Schwalbach, Germany and Almusafes,
Spain.
    "Our global design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities were key
factors that helped us win this Ford business," said John Barth, president and
chief operating officer of Johnson Controls.
    Barth says Johnson Controls' unique, eight-step product definition process
was used to develop the seating system specifications and features for the
Ford Focus. "We benchmarked the best seats for small cars, interviewed
hundreds of vehicle owners and used our comfort engineering expertise," said
Barth. "We then worked with our customer to create a high-value, world-class
seating system."
    A variety of popular Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicles feature interior
systems and components supplied by Johnson Controls. They include: the
European Escort; Fiesta; Continental; Navigator; Taurus; Explorer; Expedition;
Windstar and Villager minivans; and Ranger and F-Series pickup trucks.
    Johnson Controls, Inc., with headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, is
a global market leader in automotive systems and building controls. Founded in
1885, Johnson Controls had sales of US$11.1 billion in 1997 and operates in
more than 500 locations around the world. See http://www.johnsoncontrols.com for more
information.
    The Plymouth, Michigan-based Automotive Systems Group of Johnson Controls
is one of the world's largest suppliers of vehicle interior systems, and is a
major supplier of batteries. In 1998, the company's worldwide operations will
supply interior products for more than 22 million vehicles. The Automotive
Systems Group employs more than 54,000 people at 215 facilities worldwide and
achieved $8 billion in sales for the 1997 fiscal year.