LIMEIRA, Sao Paulo, Brazil, May 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
ArvinMeritor's (NYSE: ARM) Light Vehicle Systems (LVS) business group
announces the opening of a new Global Center of Excellence located in
Limeira, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The state-of-the-art 37,000 square foot
facility houses research and development for Fumagalli(TM) brand steel
wheels, with expanded engineering and program management capabilities to
support the LVS growth strategy for body and chassis systems in South
America.
"The Global Center of Excellence provides superior engineering support
which is a competitive advantage to our regional customers in growing
markets like the BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China," said
Phil Martens, president, LVS, ArvinMeritor. "The center gives our South
American customer base access to LVS' full spectrum of advanced smart
systems(TM) technologies for improved vehicle safety, comfort and
performance."
As the primary regional resource for LVS South America, the Global
Center of Excellence includes engineering, program management, sales,
testing, validation, quality, sourcing, logistics and finance.
The facility joins the company's existing network of technology centers
located in China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom and
the United States. It supports local design applications of chassis systems
and components, roof systems, door modules, window regulators and motors.
"ArvinMeritor is an industry leader with a 60-year history of providing
innovative, quality Fumagalli steel wheels in Brazil and Mercosur," said
Don Polk, vice president and general manager, Wheels and LVS South America,
ArvinMeritor. "The Center of Excellence leverages our wheels innovation and
expertise to support our customers with our entire product portfolio of
systems solutions."
Light Vehicle Systems
ArvinMeritor's LVS business is a leading global provider of dynamic
motion and control automotive systems and components, with sales of $2.2
billion in 2007 -- $2.0 billion of value-added sales and $200 million of
pass-through sales. Of the value-added sales, more than 60 percent were
outside North America. ArvinMeritor's LVS business group is a market leader
in many of the product categories it serves, supplying components and
integrated systems and modules to the world's leading passenger car and
light truck OEMs.
LVS smart systems(TM) technologies combine the intelligent application
of controls and electronics with traditional mechanical products, to take
on new form and function at both the component and system levels. With
advanced technology and systems design expertise -- in body systems (roof,
and door modules and systems, motors, latches, window regulators, and
electronic controls); and chassis systems (chassis and suspension modules
and systems, ride control products, electronic chassis control systems,
global aftermarket chassis products and wheels) -- LVS produces integrated,
high-quality, cost- effective performance-based solutions for practically
all car and light truck market segments.
About ArvinMeritor
Today, ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a premier global supplier of a broad range
of integrated systems, modules and components to the motor vehicle
industry. The company serves commercial truck, trailer and specialty
original equipment manufacturers and certain aftermarkets, and light
vehicle manufacturers. Headquartered in Troy, Mich., ArvinMeritor employs
approximately 19,000 people in 24 countries. ArvinMeritor common stock is
traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ARM. For more
information, and high resolution photography, visit the company's Web site
at: http://www.arvinmeritor.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements relating to future results of
the company (including certain projections and business trends) that are
"forward- looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are typically
identified by words or phrases such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate,"
"estimate," "should," "are likely to be," "will" and similar expressions.
Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of
certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to global
economic and market cycles and conditions; the demand for commercial,
specialty and light vehicles for which the company supplies products; risks
inherent in operating abroad (including foreign currency exchange rates and
potential disruption of production and supply due to terrorist attacks or
acts of aggression); availability and cost of raw materials, including
steel and oil; OEM program delays; demand for and market acceptance of new
and existing products; successful development of new products; reliance on
major OEM customers; labor relations of the company, its suppliers and
customers, including potential disruptions in supply of parts to our
facilities or demand for our products due to work stoppages; the financial
condition of the company's suppliers and customers, including potential
bankruptcies; possible adverse effects of any future suspension of normal
trade credit terms by our suppliers; potential difficulties competing with
companies that have avoided their existing contracts in bankruptcy and
reorganization proceedings; successful integration of acquired or merged
businesses; the ability to achieve the expected annual savings and
synergies from past and future business combinations and the ability to
achieve the expected benefits of restructuring actions; success and timing
of potential divestitures; potential impairment of long-lived assets,
including goodwill; potential adjustment of the value of deferred tax
assets; competitive product and pricing pressures; the amount of the
company's debt; the ability of the company to continue to comply with
covenants in its financing agreements; the ability of the company to access
capital markets; credit ratings of the company's debt; the outcome of
existing and any future legal proceedings, including any litigation with
respect to environmental or asbestos-related matters; the outcome of actual
and potential product liability and warranty and recall claims; rising
costs of pension and other post-retirement benefits and possible changes in
pension and other accounting rules; as well as other risks and
uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed herein and from
time to time in other filings of the company with the SEC. These
forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the
company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010524/ARVINLOGO )
SOURCE ArvinMeritor, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.arvinmeritor.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010524/ARVINLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/762401.html /
CONTACT:
Media Inquiries - Americas and Asia, Jeff
Gammons, +1-313-551-2903, jeffrey.gammons@arvinmeritor.com, or
Media Inquiries - Europe, Marco Foley, +44 (0)121 625 3220,
marco.foley@arvinmeritor.com, or Investor Inquiries, Terry Huch,
+1-248-435-9426, terry.huch@arvinmeritor.com, all of
ArvinMeritor, Inc.
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