Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Central Europe confers second place on new production process * Johnson Controls receives SPE Automotive Award 2007

Burscheid (Germany) 24 October (PROTEXT/ots) - Johnson Controls, one of theworld’s leading suppliers of automotive interior systems, electronics andbatteries, has taken 2nd place in the 11th Automotive Division Award of theSociety of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Central Europe. This is a veryprestigious accolade within the plastics engineering industry. JohnsonControls received the award in the category Body Interior for a newproduction process designed to engineer two-color door panels on a singlecomponent carrier. Its machinery and process innovations allow, for thefirst time ever, a one-piece door substrate with a two-color foil surfaceto be produced from natural fibers. The company is using this newtechnology to produce the two-color door panel of the current BMW 5 Series.

Two-color components of automotive interiors up until now have generallybeen produced as multiple parts before being applied to one another. As aresult, seams and gaps remain visible with this method. It also makes itdifficult in some cases to observe strict weight limitations - but not sowith the BMW 5 Series.

"Working closely with BMW, we broke new ground with this technology - beingthe first company to retain a single-component substrate and successfullycover it with a two-color plastic foil surface," said Achim Hosenfeld, VicePresident and General Manager of Johnson Controls.

Precision through electronic image processing

In the fully automated production process, machinery and tool advancesensure the color demarcation lines stay within the exacting tolerances atall times. At individual points in the process, image-processing sensorsare also used. They continually monitor the exact positioning and adhesionlevel of the two-color foils and, where necessary, arrange for automaticcorrective adjustment of the film tenter frame in real time.

Twin tools are also deployed which increase manufacturing efficiency. Theyallow two door panels to be produced at one time. Subsequent pre-assemblyof the door pocket, airbag, loudspeaker grille, trim strips and armrests,all with different surfaces, plus numerous optional extras are also taskscompleted by Johnson Controls. This means the plant has to have thelogistical and technical capability to accommodate more than 100,000possible variations per door panel. The repetition part rate is actually aslow as two percent.

Not the first such accolade for Johnson Controls

The SPE is a globally active society of engineers and scientists with over38,000 members. Some acclaimed experts on the judging panel conferred theprestigious SPE Automotive Award in a total of four categories - BodyInterior, Body Exterior, Chassis/Hardware and Electronic Components.Johnson Controls was previously among the award winners in 2004, when thecompany earned second place in the same category for its In-Mold Graining -a production method for larger surface areas. Last year Johnson Controlsalso achieved high honors, taking third place for its rear-seatentertainment system in the Mercedes-Benz S and R Series.

"I am very pleased to receive his year's SPE Automotive Award on behalf ofour whole team. This award is particularly significant to us, since it isclear recognition of the fact that we engineer innovative productionprocesses, which not only appeal to consumers and customers but alsoconvince the experts," said Achim Hosenfeld.

Digital photos are available at http://www.johnsoncontrols.co.uk.

Further information is available from:

Johnson Controls GmbH

Industriestraße 20-30

Automotive Experience

51399 Burscheid, Germany

Astrid Schafmeister

Tel.: +49 2174 65-3189

Fax: +49 2174 65-3219

E-mail: astrid.schafmeister@jci.com

Ina Longwitz

Tel.: +49 2174 65-4343

E-mail: ina.longwitz@jci.com

Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) is the global leader that brings ingenuity tothe places where people live, work and travel. By integrating technologies,products and services, we create smart environments that redefine therelationships between people and their surroundings.

Our team of 140,000 employees creates a more comfortable, safe andsustainable world through our products and services for more than 200million vehicles, 12 million homes and one million commercial buildings.Our commitment to sustainability drives our environmental stewardship, goodcorporate citizenship in our workplaces and communities, and the productsand services we provide to customers. For additional information, pleasevisit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com.

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