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Continental Teves' Morganton, NC, Plant Chosen as One Of North America's 10 Best Plants by IndustryWeek Magazine

11 October 2000

Continental Teves' Morganton, NC, Plant Chosen as One Of North America's 10 Best Plants by IndustryWeek Magazine

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 11 The Morganton, N.C., facility
of Continental Teves -- which manufacturers state-of-the-art automotive
braking systems -- was recognized today as one of North America's 10 best
plants by IndustryWeek magazine, a leading manufacturing management magazine,
in the publication's 11th annual Best Plants competition.
    The national honor recognizes world-class manufacturing capabilities and a
plant "mindset" of continuous improvement.  The panel of judges -- made up of
IndustryWeek editors and industry experts -- looked at such things as just-in-
time techniques, quality achievements, employee involvement, manufacturing
cycle times, waste elimination, continuous-flow production, productivity and
customer response time.
    The Morganton plant produces automotive electronic braking systems in a
clean-room environment and is a model of lean manufacturing.  Annual
production of more than 3 million units includes ABS, TCS (Traction Control
Systems), and ESP (Electronic Stability Program).
    This is the second such recognition the plant has received in recent
weeks.  During the opening of the Paris Motor Show in late September,
European-based Automotive World Magazine named the Morganton plant one of the
top five finalists for their global Automotive Manufacturing Award.
    "This honor from IndustryWeek magazine caps off a great year for the
plant, and it reflects well on our company as a whole," according to Bill
Kozyra, president, Continental Teves North America in Auburn Hills.  "The
Morganton plant is indeed a model of cooperation, offering a clear example of
what can be accomplished when astute managers and motivated employee teams set
their minds to working smarter and getting better.  Morganton operates with
employee teams that are empowered to look at all aspects of plant operations
and to participate in changes made within the facility.  We are proud of the
innovative thinking of our employees and the contributions they have made to
the concept of continuous improvement in the plant," Kozyra continued.  "This
award truly belongs to them."
    Electronic brake systems from Continental Teves have established
themselves as an important contributor to driving safety by helping prevent
many critical driving situations.  Once luxury items, many are now found in
vehicles within the compact class.  According to Dennis White, Morganton plant
manager, "We are pleased with this recognition of leadership in the area of
lean manufacturing.  Our employees have clearly achieved world-class levels of
safety, efficiency and production performance."
    Continental Teves is a unit of Continental AG, Hanover, Germany, with
sales of $2.6 Billion in 1999.  With 11,000 employees worldwide, Continental
Teves is a major manufacturer of brake and chassis systems that contribute to
driver safety and comfort for the global automotive industry.  Additional
information can be found at http://www.conti-online.com .