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Visteon Helps Drive Society of Plastics Engineers Technology Awards

12 November 1998

Visteon Helps Drive Society of Plastics Engineers Technology Awards

    DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 11 -- Visteon Automotive Systems'
relentless pursuit of innovative technologies and customer success were
honored last night with two major industry awards from the Society of Plastics
Engineers.
    SPE's annual ceremony recognizes advances in automotive plastics
technology.  Visteon was instrumental in helping Ford Motor Company win two
awards -- demonstrating its commitment to help customers resolve challenging
design and production issues.
    Visteon's closed loop Thermoplastic Olefins (TPO) recycling program helped
Ford win SPE's Environmental Category Award.  Visteon also helped Ford win
SPE's Powertrain Category Award for development of an integrated air induction
system that actively cools vehicle batteries using induction air.
    "We are delighted to receive such an important confirmation that our
efforts to meet and exceed our customers' expectations with new technology and
winning solutions are on track," said Craig H. Muhlhauser, president-elect of
Visteon.  "These programs vividly illustrate the expertise and experience
Visteon offers its customers, its communities and the industry."

    CLOSED LOOP TPO RECYCLING OF BUMPER FASCIAS

    Visteon's closed loop TPO recycling program will result in reuse of
approximately 60,000 pounds of scrap TPO per week by the end of the year.
Visteon's Utica and Milan plants have implemented a program, in partnership
with American Commodities Inc. of Flint, Michigan, to reuse their painted
fascia scrap in production of new bumpers for a variety of Ford cars and
trucks.  ACI has developed a proprietary process for recovery and reuse of
this post-industrial TPO.
    Equally significant, the closed loop program is also a precursor to post-
consumer recycling.  As Visteon's usage of recycled TPO increases, it will
increasingly turn to salvage yard bumpers to fill its material demands.
Visteon's use of this post-consumer TPO will set an automotive standard in
North America and insures that tons of plastic formerly destined for landfills
will be reused.
    The recycled TPO has been tested extensively by Visteon engineers to
insure that it maintains bumper durability, performance and appearance.
Visteon's demand for additional recycled TPO has spurred ACI to establish a
network of collection centers across the country to pull bumpers from vehicles
delivered to salvage yards.  The entire process of using recycled TPO is cost
effective and environmentally friendly.
    Utica and Milan are producing bumpers with recycled TPO content for the
Ford Taurus wagon, the Lincoln Continental, the Lincoln Town Car, the Lincoln
Navigator and the Mercury Sable.

    INTEGRATED AIR INDUCTION SYSTEM

    The integrated air induction system integrates the functions of engine air
filtration, acoustic silencing, battery support, battery insulation, active
battery cooling and vibration damping.  Induction air is routed around the
battery to provide active cooling when the engine is running and insulation
when the engine is shut off.
    Visteon's integrated air induction system will be implemented on 1999
model Ford F-series Super Duty trucks with 7.3 liter turbo engines.  The
entire program, from design initiation to the start of production was
accomplished in just over 12 months.  Typical air induction system programs
have taken three years.  Design timing was achieved with extensive use of
computer-aided engineering and design methodologies and rapid prototyping.
    The system replaces steel support trays for vehicle batteries with trays
made of polypropylene.  This results in a substantial weight savings. The
system also reduces end items and fasteners, resulting in inventory and labor
savings.
    Visteon, an enterprise of Ford Motor Company , has 82,000
employees located in 21 countries.  Visteon has 82 plants, including 32 joint
ventures, and 37 sales offices, engineering and technical centers.  Visteon's
corporate headquarters is located in Dearborn, Michigan.
    Visteon news releases and photographs are available on the Visteon media
web site at (http://www.media.visteonet.com).