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Ernst & Young Announces Eight Winners of 1999 PACE Awards

2 March 1999

Ernst & Young Announces Eight Winners of Prestigious 1999 Automotive News PACE Awards

 ASHA, Benteler, Delphi, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Meritor, Motorola, Stackpole
 and Teleflex Selected Best of the Best in Innovative Products and Practices

    DEARBORN, Mich., March 1 --  Winners of the 1999 PACE(TM)
Awards, jointly presented by Ernst & Young LLP and Automotive News, were
honored tonight at a gala celebration at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn,
Mich.
    The PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contributions to Excellence)
Awards recognize automotive suppliers for innovation, technological
enhancement and business performance.  The annual industry event was attended
by nearly 500 representatives of original equipment manufacturers, automotive
supply companies and the media.
    Eight winners were selected from 20 finalists and were honored for both
innovative product and manufacturing achievements:

    *  ASHA Corp. -- Santa Barbara, Calif.:  GERODISC(TM) hydromechanical
coupling device.
    *  Benteler Automotive Corp. -- Grand Rapids, Mich.:  WIN88 rear axle for
the 1998 Ford Windstar Minivan.
    *  Delphi Automotive Systems/Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems -- Saginaw,
Mich.: E-STEER(TM) electric steering system.
    *  The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. -- Akron, Ohio:  "Run-Flat" tire.
    *  Meritor Automotive Inc. -- Troy, Mich.:  RHP Highway Parallelogram
trailer air suspension systems.
    *  Motorola/Semiconductor Products Sector -- Austin, Texas:  MPC555
PowerPC microcontroller.
    *  Stackpole Ltd. -- Oakville, Ontario, Canada:  Selective densification
of powdered metal gears.
    *  Teleflex Inc./Teleflex Automotive Group -- Troy, Mich:  Adjustable
pedal system.

    Each of the eight winners received a citation representing a consensus of
the PACE judges' view of what made its nomination outstanding.   These
citations are attached, and posted on the Ernst & Young Web site,
http://www.ey.com/pace.
    "Automotive suppliers continue to raise the level of value they deliver to
their manufacturing customers and consumers," says Lee Sage, global automotive
leader, Ernst & Young LLP.  "Through the PACE Award, we are proud to honor
those companies whose daring, creativity and skill have led to the
breakthrough innovations in production and processes that strengthen and set
new standards of excellence for the automotive industry."
    Recognizing the contributions of auto suppliers, keynote speaker Thomas
Sidlik, executive vice president of procurement and supply for DaimlerChrysler
Corp., addressed the critical role innovation will play as the industry moves
into the next millennium.
    "Since 1995, the PACE Awards have honored innovation, creativity and
forward thinking among automotive suppliers," Sidlik said.  "As we approach
the 21st century, it's time for more suppliers in more disciplines in more
nations to embrace those ideals on a global basis."
    Gov. John Engler acknowledged the fifth annual PACE Awards ceremony by
declaring March 1, 1999, "PACE Automotive Suppliers Day" in Michigan.  The
governor congratulated the winners and finalists "for their superb performance
and commitment to excellence."
    The PACE Awards program recognizes product, manufacturing and service
achievements by automotive suppliers of all sizes.  Winners are selected by a
panel of distinguished judges who review applications and conduct
comprehensive site visits of finalist companies to evaluate both their
innovations and management teams.

    Ernst & Young LLP provides assurance and advisory business services, tax
services and consulting for domestic and global clients.  The firm has 30,000
people in 87 cities.  Ernst & Young is a leading provider of performance
improvement, technology enhancement, assurance and tax services to the
automotive industry globally.  In addition to the "PACE Findings Report," the
firm produces comprehensive marketplace reports, such as "Profile of
Tomorrow's Automotive Supplier" and "Asia-Pacific Automotive Industry:  A
Brief Summary of Risks and Rewards," and the "Automotive Product Design and
Development Delphi," from the Office for the Study of Automotive
Transportation at the University of Michigan.
    Automotive News began publishing as Automotive News Daily on August 25,
1925, and as the name suggests, it was published daily.  It became a weekly in
June 1938 and was purchased by Crain Communications in 1971.  Since then, the
Automotive News editorial staff has grown to more than 45 reporters and
editors with bureau offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Nashville,
London and Tokyo.  The newsweekly provides in-depth coverage of the auto
industry and is written for original equipment manufacturers, their franchised
dealers and suppliers.  Automotive News' circulation is over 80,000 and is the
only 100-percent paid publication in the industry.  In 1996, Automotive News
Europe debuted as a separate fortnightly publication for pan-European news.
In 1998, Crain Communications purchased Automotive International, a magazine
for global automotive executives.