Johnson Controls receives award for 'In-Mold Graining' from the international association of the 'Society of Plastics Engineers' Plastics industry 'Oscar' for

Burscheid, Germany 20. 10. 2004 (PROTEXT/ots) - JohnsonControls, one of the worlds leading suppliers of automotiveinterior systems, interior electronics and batteries, washonored with the 2nd prize of the 'Automotive Division Award2004' of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) CentralEurope. This award is considered to be the 'Oscar' of theplastics processing industry. Johnson Controls received theprize in the Interiors category for 'In-Mold Graining' amanufacturing process for larger surfaces the company developedto series maturity. The technique is being used for the firsttime on a large surface in the production of the door panels forthe new Opel Astra. 'In-Mold Graining' is a covering process inwhich an ungrained Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) foam foil iswrapped onto a carrier and grained in a single process stage.The new process offers a greater design freedom than theconventional methods using pre-grained foils. These tend to losetheir texture during the covering process. Because the grain isnot formed until the compression stage in the 'In-MoldGraining' process, the pattern is retained even on sharp edgesand radii. It is also possible to apply different grains in asingle process stage. "The process can be used with allconventional carrier materials. It is also possible to combineit with conventional foam processes" explains Wim Jacobs,Director of Material and Process Engineering at JohnsonControls. A further advantage of 'In-Mold Graining' is itsenvironmental sustainability. The TPO foil used in the processcan be separated from the carrier material with relative ease toenable the materials to be recycled. The natural fiber carrier,as used in the Astra, is made of ninety percent raw materialsfrom sustainable sources and can be disposed of cleanly. As analternative to the long-standing conventional coveringtechnologies, 'In-Mold Graining' is also ideal for use ininstrument panels. The company is using this technique for thefirst time on a large surface in the series production of thedoor panels of the Opel Astra. Johnson Controls is also usingthe process in the production of the cockpit of the newMitsubishi Colt. The surface is attractive and has two differentgraining effects. 'Automotive Division Award' for the ninth timeThis is the ninth time that the company has received the SPECentral Europes Automotive Division Award. The categoriesentered are: Body Interior, Body Exterior and Chassis. A jurycomposed of 25 members from all branches of plastics developmentand processing evaluates the quality of the materials, theirprocessing and the innovative potential of the new developments.The SPE is a worldwide association of engineers and scientistswith over 38,000 members.

Along with the Opel Astra, ten other vehicle models receivedawards in Dusseldorf including a Rolls-Royce, a Maybach and aSmart Forfour.

Further information is available from:

Johnson Controls GmbH Johnson ControlsGmbH Automotive Group Automotive GroupAstrid Schafmeister Ina LongwitzIndustriestraße 2030 Industriestraße2030 51399 Burscheid 51399 BurscheidTel.: +49 2174 65-3189 Tel.: +49 2174 65-4343Fax: +49 2174 65-3219 Fax: +49 2174 65-3219 E-Mail: astrid.schafmeister@jci.com

E-Mail: ina.longwitz@jci.com Johnson Controls, Inc. is a global market leader inautomotive systems and facility management and control. In theautomotive market, it is a major supplier of integrated seatingand interior systems, and batteries. For non-residentialfacilities, Johnson Controls provides control systems andservices including comfort, energy and security management.Johnson Controls (New York Stock Exchange: JCI), founded in 1885,has its headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The companyssales for 2003 totaled US$22.6 billion, the Automotive Groupworldwide generating US$17 billion of this figure and Europeaccounting for US$5.9 billion. The European headquarters is inBurscheid, Germany. The companys product portfolio also includesinstrument panels/cockpits, door systems, overhead systems,interior electronics, electrical energy management and engineelectronics.

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