Lear will be providing seat systems for a new platform on a just-in-time basis. The contract is Lear's first seating business with a French automotive company. Lear is the largest supplier of automotive seats in Europe, in addition to being the global market leader in seats.

"We are pleased to expand our business in France and bring our seating technology and production expertise to the important French automotive market, and we are proud of the confidence PSA has extended to Lear," said Kenneth L. Way, Lear Chairman and CEO. "Jean Lorotte and his team are making significant progress in expanding our business in France and will help Lear Corporation as we continue our efforts to achieve greater market success in Europe."

In his new position as President of Lear - France, Lorotte will be responsible for consolidating and expanding the new Lear Electronics and Electrical Division (LEED) business as well as the expansions of full interiors business with French automakers on a worldwide basis. Lorotte joined Lear in May 1999 from United Technologies Automotive (UTA) where he served as Vice President Europe - Marketing Sales and Business Development since 1992. He has more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry with such companies as Robert Bosch France, Bendix Europe (Allied Signal), and Studebaker Worthington.

Lorotte earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute for Applied Sciences in Paris, France and a Masters degree in Industrial Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, Massachusetts (USA).

In developing Superintegration, Visteon made fundamental changes in its organizational thinking, technology innovations, and ideas about modularity. The results have vastly improved Visteon's ability to reconfigure vehicle features to meet the needs and interests of consumers. Other benefits include:

* 30 percent weight savings
* 20 percent cost improvements
* 30 percent quality improvements
* 50 percent faster product development time
* 50 percent fewer number of parts

Suppliers around the world face an ever increasing demand from automotive manufacturers to deliver a higher degree of value in their products. Visteon's Superintegration capabilities allow the organization to deliver customer systems that have been designed as integrated solutions from the outset.

Unlike some efforts to assemble disparate modules into a system, Visteon experts engineer an entire system -- such as the integrated cockpit -- as a single unit designed to meet the unique needs of customers.Visteon's vast technological resources and broad systems expertise have carried the Superintegration concept to new levels:

* The current level in development of Superintegration incorporates a magnesium cross car beam in the cockpit which reduces weight and allows manufacturers to integrate a number of brackets into the beam casting process. The cockpit uses fewer parts, improves sound and vibration deadening and increases the space available for storage and vehicle functions. Air ducts are integrated; electronics are partially integrated. The design begins to move away from conventional round wire and introduces some usage of flat-wire technology. This cockpit has a fully integrated and fully featured instrument cluster with five gauges, warning lights and message center.

* The next level of Superintegration will integrate module electronics, housings, brackets and heatsinks in the cockpit. Flatwire or autoneural technology will be incorporated throughout this cockpit. Because electronics are shared throughout this cockpit, the radio will be integrated into the module and will no longer be a box, resulting in tremendous space savings. Other systems, such as the air conditioning system, will be fully integrated into the cockpit.

* Beyond that, future levels of Superintegration will advance electronic design by functionally combining the electronics, wire harness, connectors and modules. This will be achieved by 'populating' the electronics directly onto the flatwire, eliminating the need for circuit boards. This technology, developed, designed and patented by Visteon, is unique in the supplier industry and will offer Visteon customers the capability to incorporate the most advanced technologies into their vehicle designs.

In 1981 Richter was named president of Diamond Financial Holdings and was heavily involved in the successful restructuring of that group. In 1983 he was elected assistant treasurer of Dana Corporation. Richter was appointed senior vice president of Hayes-Dana, Inc. in Canada in 1985, and in 1987 he returned to the United States as corporate controller. He was appointed vice president and general manager of Perfect Circle Europe in 1994 and became general manager of the combined division of Perfect Circle Sealed Power Europe after the acquisition of Sealed Power in 1997. Later in the year, he was named vice president -- administration. In 1998, Richter was promoted to vice president -- finance and administration, assuming responsibility for a variety of corporate financial functions.

A native of Heidelberg, Germany, Richter received a bachelor's degree from Miami University and an MBA from Bowling Green State University. He also has completed Harvard's Advanced Management Program.

Richter is a member of Dana's Policy Committee and its World Operating Committee. In the past he has served as a member of Dana's European Operating Committee and the South American Operating Committee and as chairman of the Investment Committee. He is currently a member of the Financial Executives Institute, the Strategic Planning Council of the Manufacturers' Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI), and the International Business Advisory Committee for the School of Business Administration of Bowling Green State University. He is a past member of the Advisory Council for the School of Applied Science of Miami University, the Board of Directors of Flower Memorial Hospital, and the Young Leader's Council of the United Way of Greater Toledo.