Hayes Lemmerz will be providing 6.8-litre upper aluminum intake manifolds for the Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks and the new Ford Excursion, plus 2.0-litre aluminum intake manifolds for the new Ford Focus sedan. The 6.8L intakes will be produced at the facility in Wabash, Indiana and the 2.0L intake will be provided at the facility in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Products made at these facilities include intake and exhaust manifolds, cylinder heads, and water pump housings.

"Being associated with these great new programs further demonstrates our application of innovative manufacturing processes and technology as the automotive industry moves towards lightweight aluminum components," said Ron Cucuz, President and CEO of Hayes Lemmerz International. "We are proud to be one of the world's leaders in lightweight aluminum automotive products and expect to continue to benefit from our strong position as aluminum penetration on cars and light trucks continues to expand over the next several years."

"The combined technologies and expertise of National Instruments and GfS bring to the global marketplace the leading computer-based measurement and automation solutions for the automotive industry," said Dr. James Truchard, President and CEO of National Instruments. "We are excited about further expanding our research and development base in Germany, adding the new employees to the National Instruments team, and providing expanded coverage for GfS." Dr. Truchard added the 80 GfS employees will continue their current employment, and that Dr. Wilfried Melder, President of GfS, will remain as President (Geschaftsfuehrer) of the new National Instruments subsidiary.

National Instruments will be adding the GfS products to its portfolio of software products for measurement and automation applications including DIAdem(R), standard software for processing measured data under Windows.

The investment of $5 million will fund new equipment, engineering and facilities to support the localization of the catalyst plant in Port Elizabeth. The investment enables ASEC Manufacturing to secure new business and meet existing contracts in the region.

ASEC Manufacturing is also investing $1.2 million in its Florange, France, exhaust catalyst manufacturing facility, Jones said. The investment is for equipment and operations required to expand the Florange plant's catalyst operations. The expansion is necessary to meet the demands of several European vehicle programs. "These investments will allow us to better grow the business and supply our global customers," Jones said. "Investing in our facilities, equipment and processes will enable our people to become leaders in the automotive environmental catalyst business on a global basis."