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Freudenberg-NOK Receives Two Achievement Awards from Saturn

2 September 1999

Freudenberg-NOK's Farnam Sealing Business Receives Two Achievement Awards From Saturn Corp.

    PLYMOUTH, Mich., Sept. 2 -- Farnam*Meillor, which was
recently acquired by Freudenberg-NOK, received two honors from Saturn Corp. --
an Outstanding Achievement Award for exceptional performance in the areas of
quality, service and cost, as well as the automaker's Quality Achievement
Award for exemplary performance in the area of supplier quality.
    The company met Saturn's criteria for its Outstanding Achievement Award by
having a reject rate of zero parts per million, minimum warranty, cost
improvements, no missed ship dates and no mislabeled shipments, as well as
long-term agreement and equal partner participation.
    Criteria for the Quality Achievement Award included a true commitment to
quality by having less than 25 defective parts per million supplied, no
recalls, exceptional response to any problems, and the supplier's technical
response meeting or exceeding Saturn's needs.
    Freudenberg-NOK currently supplies Saturn with both transmission and
engine gaskets manufactured at its 177,000-square-foot Necedah, Wis.,
facility, which employs approximately 250 associates.  The company had been
renamed Farnam Sealing Products after Freudenberg-NOK acquired the business in
July 1999 to round out its in-house capability to provide total transmission
sealing to automakers worldwide.
    Plymouth, Mich.-based Freudenberg-NOK is part of the Freudenberg and NOK
Group Companies, which have total annual sales of more than $6 billion.  With
global automotive sales of approximately $3.5 billion, the Freudenberg and NOK
Group ranks among the world's top 20 automotive suppliers and is one of only
eight in the top 100 that has global balance in each of the three major
automotive markets -- Asia, Europe and North America.
    Through a global network of facilities spanning 24 countries with some
23,000 automotive employees worldwide, the supplier group offers its
automotive customers globally integrated products, including sealing packages
for transmissions, engines, brakes, axles and steering, NVH (noise, vibration
and harshness) components and packages, and all rubber, plastic and PTFE
components for suspension, electrical and fuel systems.
    The Freudenberg and NOK Group also offers an extensive portfolio of
precision-molded products for the aerospace, appliance, business machine,
fluid power, marine, medical, off-highway equipment and recreational vehicle
markets.  For more information, visit the Freudenberg-NOK web site at
http://www.freudenberg-nok.com