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Owens Corning Molds Door Insulation for Saturn

21 January 2000

Owens Corning Molds Door Insulation for Saturn

    TOLEDO, Ohio, Jan. 20 -- Owens Corning today
reported that General Motors' Saturn Division is having great success using a
door insulation made with Owens Corning's proprietary VersaMat(TM) insulator.
    Owens Corning's OEM Solutions Group said the insulator contract covers
parts for up to 250,000 vehicles through 2001.  For the Saturn application,
the VersaMat product is molded to fit the door.
    "This is the first large-scale application for this new material," said
Jim Fadell, marketing manager for Automotive and Commercial Interiors, Owens
Corning OEM Solutions Group.  "The name VersaMat is derived from the words
'versatile material,' which is an accurate description of the system's
flexibility regarding materials."
    VersaMat insulators can be made with a variety of ingredients.  There are
several product families of VersaMat insulators based on the fiber
composition.  Using the capabilities of the VersaMat system, the company is
able to program its equipment to manufacture materials that precisely meet a
manufacturer's performance requirements. With equivalent performance, VersaMat
parts can weigh less and may be thinner than the components they replace.  For
Saturn, the VersaMat system is able to produce parts that meet acoustic
requirements at a lower price than the parts used previously.
    The Owens Corning OEM Solutions Group fabricates materials for OEM's in
four key markets -- automotive and heavy truck, appliances, commercial
interiors, and heating, ventilating and air conditioning.  The business
operates 18 facilities in North America.
    Originally comprised of facilities fabricating only the company's glass
fiber materials, the OEM Solutions Group has grown through acquisition and
expansion and now includes experience and expertise in a variety of material
systems.
    "We have become material-neutral," said Fadell.  "We are committed to
finding and delivering material solutions for OEM's that meet each
application's requirements.  We don't have a bias toward any particular
material or process."
    Owens Corning is a world leader in building materials systems and
composites systems.  The company has sales of $5 billion and employs
approximately 20,000 people worldwide.  For more information, please visit
Owens Corning's Web site at http://www.owenscorning.com .