Multimatic Strengthens Vehicle Development Capability

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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MARKHAM, ON (January 16, 2004) - Toronto based Multimatic has recently bolstered its already strong vehicle dynamics capabilities with three significant additions to its engineering team. Jay O'Connell has been appointed Vehicle Engineering Manager and will lead and coordinate the vehicle dynamics efforts at Multimatic including simulation, on-road evaluation and testing, and multi-post rig testing and development. Dr. Mark Handford has joined the team to manage Multimatic's aerodynamic programs and contribute to the development of the organization's growing suite of motorsports simulation tools. Finally, and most recently, an exclusive consultancy arrangement has been made with John Miles to provide Multimatic with his insight, expertise and vehicle development capability. All three of these outstanding individuals share a common quality with Multimatic in that they possess a unique mix of both road and race car expertise.

Multimatic is a privately held Canadian corporation supplying components, systems and services to the global automotive industry. The company is headquartered in Markham, Ontario, Canada, and has operating divisions in North America and Europe. Multimatic's core competencies are the manufacture of stampings, welded assemblies, mechanisms and suspension components as well as the design and development of automotive body, chassis and suspension systems. Competitive advantage is realized through the application of advanced technologies to achieve outstanding product quality, delivery and functional performance.

Jay O'Connell has, until recently, held the position of Chassis Engineering Manager at Ford Motor Company. Over the past 14 years Jay has worked in various positions at Ford within product development and Ford Racing Technology. He played a major role in the chassis development of the Lincoln LS/Jaguar S-type platform as well as the suspension design and development of the Ford Racing FR500 Mustang, FR200 Focus and FR100 vehicles. He also managed Ford Racing's CART Program for three years and Jaguar Racing's F1 Research and Development department for one year in England. Jay's strong vehicle engineering and development background compliments Multimatic's unique blend of analytical and applied capabilities and its creative mix of motorsports and mainstream automotive engineering expertise.

Dr. Mark Handford joins Multimatic from a two year tenure at Jaguar Racing, where he held the position of Chief Aerodynamicist for their F1 program. Prior to this assignment he was the Chief Aerodynamicist at Lola Cars and had also held the position of Technical Director at Swift in California during the development of the company's CART product. Dr. Handford has had a long term relationship through his time at Lola and Swift with Newman-Haas Racing. It is through Multimatic's technical partnership with Newman-Haas that an arrangement has been made for the two organizations to jointly utilize his skills in the future. With Multimatic's strong commitment to simulation tool development Dr. Handford provides valuable expertise to these efforts.

John Miles needs no introduction within the automotive industry. As a chassis development engineer at Lotus he was responsible for tuning over thirty cars, ranging from Aston Martins to Isuzus. John's damper expertise is second to none and his reputation for having a "feel" for total car performance is legendary. However, it is in racing that John got his start and as a driver he reached the very top of the sport with Lotus F1, teammate to champion Jochen Rindt. In addition to his F1 achievements and a hugely successful sportscar racing career, John also distinguished himself as a motorsports chassis/suspension engineer to Lotus F1 and their Esprit SCCA Supercar program in the early '90's. Again, John fits well into the Multimatic road and track culture.

Multimatic Vice President, Larry Holt comments: "The addition of Jay, Mark and John to our already strong engineering organization will significantly enhance Multimatic's ability to service OEM, Tier One and Motorsports customers, both as an engineering and manufacturing supplier. We have spent the past ten years firmly establishing an outstanding reputation in the chassis and suspension field, which has now been reaffirmed by these industry leaders choosing to join our team. I would like to warmly welcome Jay, Mark and John to Multimatic and invite our customers to take advantage of their expertise."

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