Lear Corporation Honors Ten Suppliers in Eighth Annual Hall of Fame Awards Program

In its eighth year, Lear’s Annual Hall of Fame Supplier Awards Program recognizes those suppliers who demonstrate excellence in quality, delivery, service and competitiveness. The winning suppliers, determined by using the Lear Supplier Rating System, were honored during a luncheon ceremony today.

“A superior supply base is an integral part of Lear’s success with its own customers,” said Bob Rossiter, Lear Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Lear’s operating philosophy is based on consistently delivering the highest standards of quality. Our Hall of Fame suppliers were all exemplary in quality and they are to be truly commended for their outstanding performance.”

The recipients were selected from more than 3,200 companies that supply Lear globally. The Lear Supplier Hall of Fame Award winners for 2005 are:

Global Enterprises / Molding & Assemblies
Hope Global of Detroit / Cut & Sew Assemblies
KOA Speer Electronics, Inc. / Resistors
Kromberg & Schubert / Seat Harnesses
LM Gear Company / Threaded Products
Microchip Technologies / Microcontrollers
Murata Electronics N.A., Inc. / Passive Electronic Components
ON Semiconductor Corporation / Semiconductors
RCO Engineering, Inc. / Prototype Components & Tooling
Sofanou, Inc. / Wire Harnesses Components

Global Enterprises

Global Enterprises is a certified minority supplier recognized by Lear as an industry leader for providing exceptional delivery, cost, quality and customer support. Global Enterprises has demonstrated product diversification within the automotive sector in areas of extrusions, die-cutting, compression molding and assemblies.

Global Enterprises has been a supplier to Lear since 1998 and continues to grow and develop their partnership with Lear. The company’s corporate office is located in Huntington Woods, Mich. Global Enterprises also has three manufacturing locations in Chesterfield, Mich.; Superior, Wis.; and El Paso, Texas, which is strategically located in close proximity to Lear’s Mexican Trim Operations in Mexico.

Hope Global of Detroit

Hope Global of Detroit is a minority-owned, quality source of cut, sew and assembly products located in Redford, Mich. Backed by several years of experience in the textile market, Lear has a strong partnership with Hope Global and the support of its worldwide manufacturing and engineering facilities.

Hope Global of Detroit has been a supplier to Lear since 2002 and continues to grow and develop this relationship by providing superior quality and cost-competitive products. In addition, Hope Global of Detroit has demonstrated a sincere dedication to outstanding customer service and a commitment to timely deliveries.

KOA Speer Electronics, Inc.

As a global leader in surface mount passive components, KOA Speer Electronics, Inc. enjoys a leading position as a resistor supplier to Lear. The Bradford, Penn.-based company is a part of the KOA umbrella corporation based in Japan and serves Lear in each region in which it does business.

World-class logistics enable KOA to ship hundreds of unique part numbers in volumes that reach millions per month with a near flawless delivery record. KOA’s focus on quality ensures that rejected products are measured in parts per billion. KOA sets the standard at Lear for all other electronic component suppliers to follow.

Kromberg & Schubert

Kromberg & Schubert GmbH & Co. KG is an electrical and electronic component supplier headquartered in Abensberg, Germany. The company produces wire harnesses, fiber-optic cables, grommets and various other electrical components, mainly for the automotive market.

Kromberg & Schubert is Lear’s leading supplier of seat harnesses for Lear’s German customers including BMW and Audi. With locations in 13 countries in addition to Germany, Kromberg & Schubert’s commitment to consistently deliver high quality, competitively priced products makes them a valuable supplier to Lear.

LM Gear Company

LM Gear is a leading thread and gear manufacturer of products to the automotive, off-road and appliance industries. Located in Chesterfield, Mich., LM Gear provides Lear with a variety of threaded products including worm gears and lead screw assemblies.

LM Gear is a valued supplier committed to quality and continuous improvement. In addition, LM Gear’s ability to respond to compressed timing and demanding delivery requirements has made it an integral partner in achieving smooth, on-time launches of critical programs.

Microchip Technologies

Microchip Technologies, located in Chandler, Ariz., is a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors. As a leader in 8-bit microcontrollers, Microchip has provided Lear with a high-level of quality and outstanding customer support.

Microchip’s commitment to lower total systems costs and its global manufacturing footprint have allowed Microchip to become a key contributor to the success of multiple critical launches for Lear over the past 12 months. Furthermore, Lear’s success with its own customers in automotive electronics is due in large part to the outstanding support we have received from Microchip.

Murata Electronics N.A., Inc.

Murata Electronics is Lear’s leading supplier of passive electronic components. Headquartered in Japan, Murata is a global company that specializes in the design and production of capacitors, resistors and various filter technologies.

Murata’s commitment to technological innovation as well as its outstanding customer support and quality has made them a valued supplier to Lear. Backed by many years of electronic component experience, Murata has provided Lear with products and services above and beyond expectation.

ON Semiconductor Corporation

ON Semiconductor’s strong portfolio of automotive semiconductor products and proven history of superior support and logistics has made the company a preferred supplier to Lear for several years. Based in Phoenix, Ariz., ON Semiconductor continues its tradition as a cost and quality leader on standard products through global manufacturing sites and world-class logistics systems.

Further ensuring ON Semiconductor’s growth and success with Lear and in the marketplace is an innovative design team developing application specific products. Lear’s success with its own customers in automotive electronics is due in large part to the seven-year partnership it has enjoyed with ON Semiconductor.

RCO Engineering, Inc.

Located in Roseville, Mich., RCO Engineering is Lear’s primary supplier of prototype plastic components and tooling for seating systems. As a full- service supplier, RCO has aided Lear in streamlining its development programs by offering a wide array of capability in design, engineering and prototype manufacturing processes.

RCO is the first prototype supplier to jointly develop affordable cost standards in conjunction with the Lear cost engineering team, further streamlining the development process and providing a means to better forecast and reduce prototype costs. Its ability to adapt to the rapidly changing needs of development programs, along with the timeliness of deliveries and consistent, high-quality products, has made RCO an exemplary supplier in the prototype commodities.

Sofanou, Inc.

Specializing in the global manufacture and development of protection and fastening components for on-board electrical and electronic wiring harnesses, Sofanou, Inc. again exceeded Lear’s expectations with best-in-class customer service, quality and delivery, along with pro-active participation in advanced engineering and Cost Technology Optimization initiatives.

From its headquarters in France and manufacturing facilities around the world, Sofanou continuously proves itself to be an innovative world leader committed to success through exemplary cooperation with Lear’s Electrical Systems Division. In order to further enhance its Low Cost Country presence and value chain management, Sofanou has added a plant in Honduras to be near Lear’s three wire harness production facilities.

Lear Corporation is one of the world’s largest suppliers of automotive interior systems and components. Lear provides complete seat systems, electronic products and electrical distribution systems and other interior products. With annual net sales of $17.1 billion, Lear ranks #127 among the Fortune 500. Lear’s world-class products are designed, engineered and manufactured by a diverse team of 115,000 employees at 282 locations in 34 countries. Lear’s headquarters are in Southfield, Michigan, and Lear is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol [LEA]. Further information about Lear is available on the Internet at http://www.lear.com/ .