Borg-Warner Automotive Opens Third European Technical Center
11 August 1999
Borg-Warner Automotive Opens Third European Technical Center; Will Develop Shifting Systems for New Generations of Automated Transmissions
CHICAGO, Aug. 10 -- Borg-Warner Automotive has opened a third
technical center in Europe, the Transmission Advanced Product Development
Center for Europe (TAPD-E) near Heidelberg, Germany. The Center's focus will
be on advanced product development activity for clutch systems and control
modules for automatic and automated manual transmissions for the European
market.
"The expertise of two of BWA's five operating groups -- Air/Fluid Systems
and Automatic Transmission Systems -- will be combined at the Center to
develop shifting systems for new generations of automated transmissions," said
John F. Fiedler, chairman and CEO, Borg-Warner Automotive. "The opening of
the Center is tangible evidence of BWA's commitment to product leadership, and
is a clear example of the positive results we are achieving with our
increasingly cross-business approach to innovation," he said. Initially, 50
engineers and technicians will be based at the Center. Fiedler said that
number is expected to increase significantly during the next five years.
BWA expects to more than double the size of its business in Europe from
$357 million to more than $900 million. Fiedler said this growth will be
driven by three factors: market trends that are expected to produce a
dramatic increase in the application of automated shifting transmissions;
significantly increased use of turbochargers and chain-driven engine timing
systems; and increases in sales of all-wheel drive vehicles.
"As a global technology leader in all of these product areas, we are in an
optimum position to make the most of opportunities presented by the growing
European market," Fiedler said. "The new Center will be a key element in our
ability to do so with maximum efficiency and effectiveness, as we continue to
sharpen our focus on improving fuel economy, reducing emissions and enhancing
safety and convenience."
BWA's newest European technical center reflects the company's expanding
global advanced technology network. Others include Morse TEC Europe's
headquarters in Arcore, Italy, at which engine timing systems and powertrain
drive chains are produced; and the European technical center for the newly
formed BWA Turbo Systems group, which is located near the Turbo Systems
manufacturing facility in Kirchheimbolanden, Germany.
Chicago-based Borg-Warner Automotive, Inc. is a product leader in highly
engineered components and systems for vehicle powertrain applications
worldwide. The company has 12,000 employees and operates 54 manufacturing and
technical facilities in 13 countries. Customers include Ford,
DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Toyota, Caterpillar, Navistar and VW. The
Internet address for Borg-Warner Automotive is: http://www.bwauto.com /
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statements as contemplated by the 1995 Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act that are based on management's current expectations, estimates and
projections. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans,"
"believes," "estimates," variations of such words and similar expressions are
intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual
results to differ materially from those projected or implied in the
forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include:
fluctuations in domestic or foreign automotive production, the continued use
of outside suppliers by original equipment manufacturers, fluctuations in
demand for vehicles containing the Company's products, general economic
conditions, as well as other risks detailed in the Company's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Cautionary Statements filed
as Exhibit 99.1 to the Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1998.