TI Group Automotive Unveils Fuel System of the Future at SAE

3 March 2000
TI Group Automotive Unveils Fuel System of the Future at SAE
    DETROIT, March 2 -- When the eyes of the automotive world
turn to Detroit's Cobo Center March 6 to 9, they won't be looking at cars and
trucks.  The will focus on the technology.
    For the newest in fluid transfer technology for fuel, brake and air
conditioning systems, they will go to TI Group Automotive Systems' stand at
the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Congress and Exhibition.
    TI Automotive will be showing the automotive industry's first
electronically-managed fuel storage and delivery system.  The company's 2000x
Smart Tank(TM) features its own in-tank computer that receives commands and
delivers processed information directly to the vehicle's onboard computer
network.
    "With this fuel system of the future, TI Automotive is ready to meet the
challenges of the emission regulations pending for 2004 and beyond," said
Allan Welsh, the company's chief executive.
    TI Automotive's Smart Tank(TM) is designed and built to eliminate most of
the traditional holes and joints and to contain all active parts of the system
within the tank shell, he said.  The tank itself is a plastic co-extruded,
multi-layer design with a vapor barrier to control evaporative emissions.  The
complete system has only two connectors:  one is for the filler tube; the
other is for a subsystem assembly that includes a Smart Pump(TM), smart purge,
unique electronic control module, and fuel level diagnostic sensors which meet
OBD II specifications.
    The tank's intelligence comes from its electronic tank control module
which is programmed to optimize the vapor purge process, provide fuel pressure
on demand, minimize the drain on the vehicle's electrical system and provide
performance status.
    "TI Automotive is the industry's only supplier with skills and expertise
to offer a completely integrated fuel storage and delivery system," Welsh
declared.
    "This is the first time we are exhibiting at SAE as TI Automotive," Welsh
said.  TI Automotive was formed in 1999 after TI Group plc acquired Walbro
Corporation and combined its capabilities with the Bundy organization which it
acquired in 1984.
    In its all-new 2,700 square foot stand at the SAE Exhibition, TI
Automotive will exhibit new technology and products for fuel, brake, and
powertrain systems, including corrugated hose products for fuel vapor lines,
vinyl-sleeved tubing for air conditioning lines, concentric aluminum tube and
refrigerated hose for automotive air conditioning, and in-tank fuel modules
which can be custom-engineered for customer-specific fuel delivery
requirements.
    The TI Automotive stand will also showcase new technology and engineering
solutions of other TI Group business units, including:
    *  Polymer technology from TI Group Specialty Polymer Products.
    *  Sealing technology from TI Group's John Crane Division.
    *  Applied aerospace technology from TI Group's Dowty aerospace team.
    *  Hydroforming technology from TI Automotive's Vari-Form division.
    *  Fuel system technology for motorcycles, marine engines, snowmobiles and
       lawn mowers from TI Automotive's Walbro Engine Management unit.

    TI Group Automotive Systems is a unit of TI Group plc, one of the world's
leading specialized engineering companies.  Listed on the London Stock
Exchange and headquartered in the UK, TI Group operates globally with more
than 40,000 people at more than 400 manufacturing and customer service
facilities in more than 45 countries.
    In North America, TI Group employs more than 16,000 people at more than
120 facilities.
    Further information about TI Group and its businesses can be found on the
Internet at http://www.tigroup.com