AUBURN HILLS, MI -- TI Group Automotive Systems has launched a new Global Test Group in ceremonies at its technology center here. The new organization unites the company’s testing and validation capabilities at locations in Auburn Hills, Warren, and Caro, Michigan and Rastatt, Germany.

Joe Roznowski was named director of the Global Test Group (GTG) and will be based at the Auburn Hills center. He joined TI Automotive in February, 2000, after serving as director of engineering services at Breed Technologies. Previously he worked for General Motors and XYTEK industries in Detroit.

With this network of global technology centers, TI Automotive has the most advanced technical capabilities available in the world today for developing and testing complete vehicle fuel storage and delivery systems and fluid handling components,” said Ron McIntosh, TI Automotive’s global technology director. “Our new Global Test Group has the state-of-the-art skills and equipment necessary to serve our automotive customers more efficiently,” he declared. ”It will enable us to share best practices and consolidate equipment and materials to reduce our costs and expand our capabilities and services for our customers.”

“We inaugurated the Global Test Group with a ‘ribbon tying’ ceremony,” McIntosh said. “Reversing the traditional ribbon cutting symbolizes our capability to use the resources of all four centers to serve our customers.” Employees of the four Michigan centers participated in the ceremonies, joined by staff of the German center through a satellite video transmission.

Other TI Automotive executives participating included Jim Davis, president of TI Automotive North America; Dan Cook, global commercial director; Tom Mathues, vice-president of advanced technology; Mark Lockwood, president, Testing Services Group (TSG); David Salva, manager of the Auburn Hills Test Center; Michael Reeder, manager of the Caro Test Center; John Beaufait, manager of the Warren Test Center, and via satellite, Dirk Blomberg, Team Leader at the Rastatt Test Center.

“The Global Test Group (GTG) has comprehensive capabilities to test entire vehicles, systems, sub-systems, or individual components to any worldwide standard,” Roznowski noted. Test equipment at the 50,000-square-foot Auburn Hills facility is valued at $30 million and includes the latest generation SHED facilities for emissions testing, identical to those of regulatory agencies. Also, chassis dynamometers capable of testing at extreme hot and cold temperatures, fuel endurance laboratory, environmental chambers, and a vehicle refueling laboratory allowing development and verification of fuel tank filling capabilities for virtually all the fuels and filling conditions in actual use worldwide.

The Caro Test Center focuses on component and subsystem testing, with facilities including permeation, fuel endurance, analytical, and reliability laboratories. The Warren center supports testing and development of fluid handling components for brake systems. Similar capabilities at the TI Automotive Technology Centre in Rastatt, Germany, serve the company’s customers in Europe. The Auburn Hills Test Centre was formerly the Systems Test Group (STG) of the Walbro Corporation and operated as an independent laboratory also serving outside customers. Walbro was acquired in 1999 by TI Automotive’s parent, the UK-based TI Group plc, and combined with TI Group’s Bundy unit to form TI Group Automotive Systems. In the future, the Global Test Group will serve TI Automotive and its customers exclusively, Roznowski said.

TI Group Automotive Systems is a $2.3 billion tier-one supplier of automotive fluid handling systems, including brake, fuel, powertrain and refrigeration systems. The division has more than 20,000 employees at 150 facilities in 29 countries on six continents. TI Group plc is one of the world’s leading specialized engineering companies, listed on the London Stock Exchange and traded in the U.S. on the OTC market as TIGUK. Headquartered in the UK, TI Group plc operates globally with more than 40,000 people at 400 manufacturing and customer service facilities in more than 45 countries. Other TI Group businesses include John Crane, Dowty and TI Group Specialty Polymer Products. Details of TI Group and its businesses are on the company’s website at www.tigroup.com. Information on TI Automotive is at www.tiautomotive.com.

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TI Group plc
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