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Collins & Aikman Corp Names Thomas E. Evans Chairman and CEO

22 April 1999

Collins & Aikman Corporation Names Thomas E. Evans Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

    CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 22 -- Collins & Aikman Corporation
announced today that its Board of Directors has elected Thomas E.
Evans, formerly president of Tenneco Automotive, as the new Chief Executive
Officer of the Company. Evans will replace Thomas E. Hannah, 60 years old, who
has announced his retirement after serving with Collins & Aikman for 10 years,
the last five years as Chief Executive Officer.
    Evans was also named a director and Chairman of the Board of Collins &
Aikman Corporation. As Chairman, he succeeds David Stockman, Senior Managing
Director of The Blackstone Group and Bruce Barnes, Managing Director of
Wasserstein Perella & Co., who previously served as Co-Chairmen of Collins &
Aikman Corporation. Evans will also serve as President of Collins & Aikman
Products Co., the corporation's principal operating unit.
    Stockman and Barnes explained that Evans, 48 years old, "is extremely
well-qualified to assume the leadership role at Collins & Aikman.  Under his
stewardship, Tenneco Automotive has doubled its original equipment business
globally over the past four years and successfully executed a comprehensive
worldwide restructuring program.  This experience base, coupled with his
extensive background in product development, manufacturing and international
operations management, makes Mr. Evans the ideal executive to lead Collins &
Aikman forward into the global automotive interior trim systems market."
    Prior to his tenure with Tenneco Automotive, Evans held several senior
management positions at Case Corporation, another Tenneco subsidiary, where he
played a key role in Case's highly successful financial turnaround, worldwide
restructuring program and eventual public offering in 1994.  Prior to joining
Tenneco in 1989, Evans spent 16 years in the global automotive business with
Rockwell International's automotive operations and Federal Mogul Corporation.
    Evans commented, "The reorganization plans that Collins & Aikman announced
earlier this year are an excellent starting point that will enable the Company
to capitalize on its leading positions in the global automotive interior trim
business."  As previously announced, Collins & Aikman has created two new
operational divisions by integrating their global automotive carpet,
acoustics, plastics and accessory floor mat businesses: North America
Automotive Interior Systems, headquartered in Detroit, and Europe Automotive
Interior Systems, headquartered in Germany.  These two operating units
function synergistically with Collins & Aikman's Specialty Automotive Products
Division, which includes the Company's automotive fabrics and convertible top
systems businesses.  Evans noted, "these recently announced organizational
moves clearly indicate that Collins & Aikman understands the necessity to
provide a highly focused commercial relationship for today's automotive OEM's,
both domestically and internationally.  Additionally, the associated business
unit restructurings worldwide should achieve significant reductions in
structural overhead and enhance overall operational productivity."
    Collins & Aikman Corporation is among the world's leading suppliers of
automotive interior trim components and systems, including textile, plastic,
molded rubber and acoustic products. Serving major OEM's worldwide, the
Company has over 15,000 employees and operates 65 facilities in 12 countries,
with annual revenues approaching $2.0 billion.