Released on May 12, 2008

Hayes Lemmerz International Inc., Northville, Mich., announced it will close its aluminum wheel facility in Gainesville, Ga., by the end of December 2008.

According to a company press release, the closure is the result of what Hayes Lemmerz has experienced as global overcapacity in the light vehicle aluminum wheel market, where competition from low cost countries has increased.

Some of the production at the Gainesville facility will be moved to Hayes Lemmerz’s aluminum wheel facility in Mexico. The plant’s roughly 290 employees were advised of the closure during a meeting at the facility.

“The phase-out is a difficult but necessary step in our overall plan to provide our customers the highest quality products at competitive prices and to improve profitability,” said Curtis Clawson, Hayes Lemmerz’s president, CEO and chairman of the board. “We will work with those affected by this decision to help them through the transition.”

Hayes Lemmerz is a supplier of automotive and commercial highway wheels and powertrain components. The company has 24 facilities and more than 7,000 employees.