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Automotive Industry

Triple Lutz - Cunningham Automobile Company - Brief Article

Automotive Industries, Oct, 2000 by Lindsay Brooke

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Recently, Lutz linked Exide into a strategic alliance with Lear Corp., a move that makes Exide a Tier 2 on the vehicle-interior supply front.

"Lear bought UTA's automotive business so they have the wiring, interior trim components, the seats," Lutz notes. "What they didn't have was the power supply. Now with us they've got it. We can do complete interior trim modules with wires molded into the plastic, and with the ability to package the Orbital battery virtually in any configuration -- in the doors, in the scuff panels, under the seats. Designers will have far more latitude with this arrangement."

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Exide's portfolio in 10 years will include a huge presence in lead-acid batteries -- part of the reason why the company is acquiring GNB, an industrial battery giant. "Industrial is where the huge growth -- and profits -- are," Lutz asserts. "It's a 30 percent compound annual growth rate. And you're not facing the price pressures of automotive."

He's also boosting Exide's development of higher-value, spiral-wound batteries like the company's latest Orbital. And he'll soon announce partnerships with fuel cell companies -- a technology he sees as being complementary to batteries.

How much longer does Lutz plan to stay at Exide? "It's indefinite at this point," he says. "There's much more to be done here, and I'm absolutely enjoying this job."

Automotive Industry

Triple Lutz - Cunningham Automobile Company - Brief Article

Automotive Industries, Oct, 2000 by Lindsay Brooke

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