---

Robert E. Burnham Joins Textron Automotive Company As Vice President, Technology Management

1 October 1998

Robert E. Burnham Joins Textron Automotive Company As Vice President, Technology Management

    TROY, Mich., Oct. 1 --  Robert E. Burnham has joined Textron
Automotive Company in the newly-created position of Vice President, Technology
Management, reporting to James L. Chamberlin, Executive Vice President of
Technology, Planning and Quality.
    Mr. Burnham will direct all Textron Automotive Divisions to a consistent,
best-in-class level of technology management practices, leading the training
and implementation required to elevate each Division to a leadership position
in the disciplines of engineering, patent strategy, competitor analysis,
technical capability, and manufacturing quality.
    Mr. Burnham joins Textron Automotive Company from Ford Motor Company where
he had served since 1990 in various management positions in the Truck Vehicle
Center.  Prior to Ford Motor Company, he was with Chrysler Corporation in a
wide range of engineering management positions.
    Mr. Burnham holds B.S.E. and M.S.E. degrees with a concentration in
Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer from the University of Michigan.  In 1998, he
was the recipient of both the Ford Truck Significant Achievement Award and the
Ford Customer Driven Quality Award for accomplishments in Product/Program
Management.  Mr. Burnham is also a Registered Professional Engineer and has
been a college-level instructor for more than 12 years in Quality Management,
Quality Operating Systems, and Industrial Engineering.
    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.