PORTAGE, Mich., May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- CONTECH U.S., LLC, a Marathon Automotive Group Company, has won two prestigious awards in the 2008 International Die Casting Competition sponsored by the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA). The annual competition recognizes outstanding castings based on their design, quality, cost savings, ingenuity, innovation, and industry-changing potential. The winners will be honored during the CastExpo'08 in Atlanta, GA, May 17-20, 2008. CONTECH won the Aluminum, Squeeze/Semi-Solid award for a squeeze cast Rear Knuckle that is supplied to Jaguar for the XK8. This is a very large, complex component produced using CONTECH's P2000(TM) Squeeze Casting process. Steering knuckles are safety critical castings that must meet very tight requirements for mechanical properties and structural integrity. CONTECH's steering knuckle outperformed similar components from other casting processes as well as provided a significant weight savings for the customer. CONTECH also won the Aluminum Die Casting Under 1 lb. category for the Rear Axle Thrust Rod used on the BMW X5 vehicles. This component, fully designed by CONTECH, replaced a multiple-part steel assembly and provided an approximate 50% weight savings for BMW over the previous design. "CONTECH is again honored to receive this recognition from NADCA for providing highly engineered casting solutions for our customers," said Mark Hunter, President of CONTECH U.S., LLC. "Our close working relationship with our customers combined with our engineering expertise enabled CONTECH to optimize the customer's original designs for our processes and bring these new components to market successfully." Brian Szymanowski, VP of Technology and Engineering commented, "This is the third consecutive year in which CONTECH has won the Aluminum, Squeeze/Semi-Solid category and the fifth time since 2001. This confirms CONTECH's role as a leader in the design, development and production of high- integrity, safety-critical castings for the automotive market." CONTECH is a North American market leader of highly engineered, geometrically complex, light-weight cast component solutions for the automotive and light truck markets, and offers a wide variety of die cast process technologies in the industry and produces a full range of "thick wall" and "thin wall" cast components. In addition to its leadership position in cast products, CONTECH also manufactures steel forged automotive components and steel tube fabrications. About the Marathon Automotive Group The Marathon Automotive Group was formed by Marathon Asset Management, LLC's ("Marathon") Private Equity Group to make acquisitions of suppliers in the automotive and commercial truck industries. The Marathon Automotive Group is led by Morris C. Rowlett, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Robert E. Eckert, Executive Vice President of Finance; and Mark R. Krupp, Executive Vice President of Operations. Messieurs Rowlett, Eckert and Krupp, the senior leadership team of the Marathon Automotive Group, have more than 70 years of combined business knowledge and executive leadership in areas of finance, operations and mergers and acquisitions in the automotive industry, in both large and small companies. In addition to their significant senior management expertise, Messieurs Rowlett, Eckert and Krupp have successfully led and completed numerous acquisitions of automotive suppliers while working with other investment firms, including Ganton Technologies, Diversified Diemakers, Pilot Industries, Guilford Mills and GDX Automotive. About Marathon Asset Management, LLC Marathon Asset Management, LLC is a global asset management company with $11.7 billion in capital under management. Founded in 1998, Marathon maintains its headquarters in New York City, offices in London and Singapore, and satellites in Istanbul, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Marathon employs over 190 professionals who specialize in global debt, including high yield, bank debt, distressed debt, emerging market debt, convertible bonds, special situations, structured finance and structured debt transactions, real estate opportunities and private equity investments. Marathon's Private Equity Group was organized in 2005 and is comprised of 18 dedicated private equity investment and operating professionals that have made over $700 million in private equity investments on behalf of the firm. Marathon Asset Management, LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.marathonfund.com . Certain statements in this press release may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are subject to the safe harbor created thereby. Please refer to our public filings for a discussion of certain important factors that relate to forward-looking statements contained in this press release. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "guidance," "target" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Although the company believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.
Contact: Rob Hollacher
(269) 384-1271
Email: rob.hollacher@contech-global.com
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