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Freudenberg-NOK Helps Tomorrow's Leaders Gain Global Understanding Through TANNER Program

14 March 2000

Freudenberg-NOK Helps Tomorrow's Leaders Gain Global Understanding Through TANNER Program

    PLYMOUTH, Mich., March 14 As part of a multi-billion
dollar enterprise that has been operating globally for four generations,
Freudenberg-NOK understands the importance of global perspective.  So, to help
today's students -- and tomorrow's leaders -- gain this worldly view,
Freudenberg-NOK has launched TANNER, a global youth travel program.
    TANNER, which stands for Travel And Navigate New Exciting Roads, was
created by Freudenberg-NOK's European partner last year in commemoration of
the company's 150th anniversary.  The program is open to students ages 14 to
20 who are children and grandchildren of Freudenberg Group employees.  These
young people may stay for up to four weeks with a Freudenberg employee's
family.
    "We know that true global capabilities do not develop overnight, but are
built on a strong foundation of time, trust and experience, one person at a
time," said Sharon Wenzl, vice president of Corporate Relations for
Freudenberg-NOK.  "As a company, we have worked to develop seamless worldwide
coordination through regular global meetings, international video and
teleconferences, expatriot programs, and global technology workshops with our
associates throughout the world.  Now, through the TANNER program, we're
extending our efforts to help prepare the next generation for global
business."
    As one of only eight of the top 100 global automotive suppliers with
global balance, the Freudenberg & NOK Group sees personal relationships,
standardized processes, technology sharing and coordinated global project
teams as key to its success, Wenzl said.
    A period abroad under the TANNER Program will help young people to better
relate to and connect with their global counterparts, which can help them gain
a broader understanding of our global community, she said.  Through the
program, students will learn about local culture and customs from their host
families and will spend time at a Freudenberg factory or office site.
    To date, some 65 American students have signed up to travel abroad in the
program and 40 Freudenberg-NOK employees' families in Michigan, New Hampshire,
Georgia and Indiana have signed up to host TANNER students whose parents work
at Freudenberg Group operations around the world.  A total of 200 students and
families around the world are expected to participate in the program this
year.
    The company covers the students' travel costs for the two-to-four-week
stays, as well as accommodations and board costs for the host families.
    Plymouth, Mich.-based Freudenberg-NOK is part of the Freudenberg and NOK
Group Companies, which have total annual sales of more than $6.5 billion.
With global automotive sales of approximately $4 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 27 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