Lear Wins 2012 PACE Award for Solid State Smart Junction Box™

SOUTHFIELD, Michigan, April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Lear Corporation (NYSE: LEA), a leading global supplier of automotive seating and electrical power management systems, today announced its Solid State Smart Junction Box™ (S3JB™) has won a 2012 Automotive News PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence) Award honoring superior innovation, technological advancement and business performance among automotive suppliers. This prestigious award, now in its eighteenth year, is recognized around the world as the industry benchmark for innovation. The 2012 Automotive News PACE Awards were presented on April 23, 2012 at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit.

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Lear was the first to bring printed circuit board junction box technology to market in 1989. Junction boxes serve as central processors or controllers within an overall electrical distribution system. By eliminating switches and relays, consolidating circuits and utilizing proprietary software these devices improve power management capability at reduced costs. Lear's new 100% Solid State Smart Junction Box™ delivers significant additional weight savings, further lowers cost and provides packaging efficiencies.

"I am very proud of the continuing high-level of innovation in our Electrical Power Management Systems business," said Matt Simoncini, Lear's president and chief executive officer. "Our new Solid State Smart Junction Box™ provides another major step forward in terms of improving power efficiency and overall value to our customers," Simoncini added.

The first-to-market 100% Solid State Smart Junction Box™ that delivers up to 80% weight savings was developed by Lear's Electric Power Management Systems (EPMS) division. Vehicle weight savings can be up to 10 pounds, when wire gauge reductions are taken into account, by eliminating traditional fuses and relays, and the S3JB™ can enable meaningful related cost reductions, potentially providing a manufacturer substantial savings in new model introductions.

Lear's vice president of global engineering, electrical and electronics Mike Fawaz stated, "Lear is a global leader in developing cost-effective complete electrical power management systems for the automotive industry. The S3JB™ represents a significant improvement over existing smart junction box technology. We are focused on providing our customers with industry leading engineering solutions particularly in the areas of cost, weight reduction, packaging flexibility and optimization within the overall vehicle architecture."

Lear Corporation is one of the world's leading suppliers of automotive seating and electrical power management systems. The Company's world-class products are designed, engineered and manufactured by a diverse team of approximately 100,000 employees located in 35 countries. Lear's headquarters are in Southfield, Michigan, and Lear is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol [LEA]. Further information about Lear is available at lear.com.