TRW to Build New Plant in Poland

15 May 2000

TRW to Build New Plant in Poland

    GLIWICE, Poland--May 15, 2000--TRW today announced it will construct a new $7 million, 7,000 square meter manufacturing facility for braking actuation units in Gliwice, Poland.
    TRW signed a land purchase deed and expects to begin construction in June 2000.
    The new facility marks an important stage in the expansion of TRW's operations in Poland. TRW currently has three plants in Poland, one in Czestochowa that manufactures seat belts and airbags, one in Czechowice-Dziedzice that produces steering gears and a third plant in Warsaw that makes automotive electronics components.
    "This investment reflects our confidence in the Polish workforce and our commitment to servicing our customers throughout the world," said Steve Lunn, senior vice president, TRW Chassis Systems.
    Construction is expected to be complete by February 2001, when the company will install plant and equipment. Located west of Gliwice City centre on 6.5 hectares in a Katowice Special Economic Zone industrial park, the new plant can be expanded to 30,000 square meters.
    At full production, the new facility is expected to employ about 350 workers. Production will commence in October 2001.
    A braking actuation system serves as the interface between the driver and the braking system. A typical actuation module is comprised of a pedal box, vacuum booster, and a hydraulic master cylinder.
    As a driver applies force to the brake pedal, this force is increased according to the pedal ratio, then amplified by the pneumatic boost ratio of the vacuum booster before finally being converted to hydraulic pressure. This pressure is then used to apply the hydraulic braking system and decelerate the vehicle.