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ORIS Group Invests $ 10 Million in North American Facilities

BESSEMER, AL (PRWEB) April 17, 2004

ORIS Automotive, a supplier of automotive exterior components and accessories, is expanding its global presence with the completion of a $ 10 million North American headquarters and manufacturing complex in Alabama.

The company’s new manufacturing center in Bessemer, Ala., includes a 115,000-square-foot production facility and a 25,000-square-foot office building. ORIS will produce trailer-hitch systems, wind-turbulence deflectors for convertibles and a variety of off-road-vehicle accessories at the new location.

The two new facilities replace a smaller plant, also in Bessemer, and initially will employ 45 people. Employment is expected to increase by 50 percent or more within the next year. Further planned expansion at the 25-acre site includes a research-and- development center for the NAFTA region and additional sales, marketing and manufacturing facilities.

The company’s North American automotive customers include DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Toyota and Volkswagen. In addition to trailer-hitch systems and wind-turbulence deflectors, off-road accessories produced at the Bessemer complex will include grille guards, side-protection bars, spare-wheel carriers and skid plates.

“The completion of this new manufacturing center underlines our plans to significantly expand operations in North America,” said Joerg Riehle, co-owner of the ORIS Group. “North America is our most important potential growth market.”

In addition to Riehle, participants at recent grand opening ceremonies for the new facilities included Alabama Governor Bob Riley, Bessemer Mayor Edward May and Hans-Heinrich Weingarten, executive vice president of the Mercedes-Benz Car Group.

ORIS’ innovative WINDSTOP system for convertibles is designed to eliminate wind turbulence when driving with the top down. It is available for a wide range of European and American cars, including Audi, BMW, Volkswagen, Volvo, Saab, Ford Mustang, Chrysler Sebring and Toyota Solara.

The company also has developed a unique tow-bar system with a retractable ball neck that tilts away into an “invisible” park position under the bumper when not in use. It will be available as an option for the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class, S-Class and Opel Vectra Caravan.

The ORIS Group, based in Moeglingen, Germany, is a certified systems supplier of OEM parts and accessories to many of the world’s major vehicle manufacturers, including Audi, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen. The company employs more than 700 people worldwide with locations in Germany, France, Canada and the United States. Sales in 2003 were close to $ 115 million. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.oris-gmbh.de.

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Note to Editors:

Product photography is available on request by e-mail through the company’s corporate or media contacts listed below.

Company Contact

Werner Sippel

ORIS Fahrzeugteile

Phone: +49 (0) 71 41 249 189

E-mail: sippel@oris-gmbh.de

North American Media Contact:

Larry Weis or Chip Drake

AutoCom Associates

Phone: +1.248.647.8621

E-mail: lweis@usautocom.com or cdrake@usautocom.com

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