7th December 2009 - TMD Friction Appoints New Board Member

Former Heraeus CEO Helmut Eschwey becomes new member of the Board of Directors at TMD Friction

TMD Friction has announced that it has appointed Dr. Helmut Eschwey as a new member of the Board of Directors. Dr. Helmut Eschwey served as CEO of Heraeus Holding, a leading company for precious metals and high-tech materials and technologies, until 2008. Before, he held several senior assignments at Henkel, Pirelli, Freudenberg and the SMS Group. He also serves as a non-executive director of Altana AG and as chairman or board member in several private corporations.

Dr. Eschwey joins the recently formed new board of directors of TMD Friction Group, whose chairman is Jorma Halonen, former deputy CEO of Volvo Group. As previously announced, other board members are William Kozyra, Timothy Hemingway, Martin Schwab, Michael Rosen, Raphaël Poncelet, Derek Whitworth and John Hudson.

Derek Whitworth, CEO and President of TMD Friction Group, said: “I am delighted that Dr. Eschwey has accepted the invitation to join the Board of Directors of TMD Friction. Dr. Eschwey’s extensive knowledge of material science will be of great value in helping TMD expand into markets which complement our automotive base. We possess unrivalled know-how in understanding how friction materials work. We now want to accelerate the application of this knowledge in new markets.” TMD Friction is already active in areas such as friction pads for rail traffic, military transport and wind turbines.

About TMD Friction

TMD Friction Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of brake friction materials in the original equipment and replacement parts markets for passenger cars as well as commercial vehicles. Its product portfolio comprises disc brake pads and drum brake linings for passenger cars and commercial vehicles together with brake pads for racing cars and friction materials for rail and industrial applications. With its Textar, Pagid, Mintex, Don, Cobreq, and Cosid brands TMD Friction is one of the largest suppliers to the global replacement parts aftermarket. With operations in Germany and four other European countries, as well as the US, Brazil, Mexico, China and Japan, TMD Friction generated a turnover of € 639 million in 2008. TMD Friction Group employs approximately 4,000 people worldwide.

Source: TMD Friction Press Release