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Behr's New Michigan Plant Scheduled to Open this Spring

7 March 2000

Behr's New Michigan Plant Scheduled to Open this Spring

    WALLED LAKE, Mich., March 7 Behr America's new multi-
million-dollar manufacturing and product development center near Lansing, MI,
will begin operations in mid-April, according to Hans Lange, president of Behr
America.
    The 60,000-square-foot plant not only will house assembly operations, but
also will include for development, design, engineering and testing
capabilities for fans, clutches and other engine cooling components.
Prototype and pre- production manufacturing will begin during the second
quarter.  Behr's new product center is scheduled to be fully operational by
December, Lange said.
    Located in Webberville, MI, the facility is part of a $120-million
expansion of Behr's North American operations announced last year.  The new
Michigan facility initially will produce conventional and electronically
controlled engine cooling fan clutches.
    Behr America is part of the Behr Group, a leading global supplier of
climate control and engine cooling systems for automotive, commercial and off-
highway vehicle markets.  Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, Behr has more
than 12,500 employees with facilities in eight countries.
    Lange, who also is a member of the Behr Group's board of management, said
the new Michigan plant will employ 125 people in the Webberville area.
Production will include the first electronically actuated engine-cooling
clutches built in North America for Detroit-based customers.
    Behr America currently has approximately 1,000 employees at facilities in
Charleston, SC; Canton, SD; Walled Lake, MI, and Fort Worth, TX, in addition
to the new Webberville plant.
    More information on the Behr Group is available on the Internet at
http://www.behrgroup.com