21st March 2007 - Bowling Green, Kentucky Site Chosen by Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake for State-of-the-Art Drum and Disc Manufacturing Facility

Company Investing $6 Million to Update Facility That Will Employ 175, Open by April 2008

Preparation work is currently underway to establish a state-of-the-art foundation drum and air disc brake manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, Ky., an official from Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC announced today at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky.

Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake will make an initial investment of more than $6 million into the facility, equipment, and layout for production. Lean manufacturing experts have reviewed the entire production process using a Systematic Layout Planning model.

“The SLP model allows us to evaluate our current processes and then develop new and efficient processes that enable us to manufacture our products (air disc brakes and S-Cam/foundation drum brakes) in the most efficient manner possible,” said Erich Papesch of Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake, program manager for launch of the new site.

The facility is located at 346 Central Ave., the former site of the Hayes Lemmerz aluminum wheel fabricating plant. It’s the first dedicated foundation brake manufacturing facility for the wheel-end joint venture of Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC and Dana Corporation, a natural next step in the company’s global manufacturing facilities strategy.

Foundation drum brake (S-Cam) production – and associated employees – will move from its current location at a Dana Corporation facility 40 miles away in Glasgow, Ky. Air disc brake production will be transitioned from a Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems facility in Frankfort, Ky. Bendix announced last month that its Frankfort facility, which also manufactures air compressors, will shut down operation by late 2007.

“We’re pleased to announce Bowling Green as the site of our first manufacturing facility, and we’re confident that our operation here will become one of which the whole community can be proud,” said Kishor Pendse, president, Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake. “We’re implementing the latest systematic manufacturing facility layout processes to ensure the greatest efficiencies and productivity to position us for long-term growth and viability in our industry and in the Bowling Green community.” Pendse noted the move will also help fulfill the organization’s long-term goal to have full operational control of its foundation brake manufacturing processes.

Initially, the new facility will employ approximately 175, with continued growth expected as product demand and production expansion dictates. Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake is initially leasing 187,000 square feet of the building’s total 305,000 square feet. The facility’s South Central Kentucky location lies within an optimal distance from the majority of its suppliers and customers, as well as commuting distance for the employees transitioning from Glasgow.

Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake, formed in July 2004, is a single, complete source for foundation brake system research, design, manufacturing, hardware, and support for all pneumatic foundation brake components and actuation systems for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles.

About Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC

Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC combines and expands the complementary wheel-end foundation brake technologies of two global leaders – Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC and Dana Corporation. The joint venture, formed in July 2004, is a single, complete source for OEM brake system design, manufacturing, hardware, and support for all pneumatic foundation brake components and actuation systems, as well as all-makes coverage of nearly 50,000 medium- and heavy-duty hydraulic brake aftermarket parts. Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC is headquartered in Elyria, Ohio, with engineering operations in both Elyria and Kalamazoo, Mich. For more information, call 1-866-610-9709 or visit www.foundationbrakes.com.

Source: Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake Press Release