Johnson Controls Strengthens its Presence in Eastern Europe

BRATISLAVA, November 27 /PRNewswire/ --

- Opening of a New Automotive Business Center in Slovakia

Johnson Controls, one of the world's leading suppliers of automotive interiors, electronics and batteries, has opened a new Automotive Business Center in Bratislava. Some 180 employees are currently working in the areas of finance, purchasing, information technology and human resources. Another 170 new jobs will be created there by the end of 2008 in order to support the future growth of the company in the Eastern European growth markets.

"Bratislava's central position and good infrastructure with available workforce capabilities were the decisive factors in choosing this location. As important, the growth markets in Eastern and Central Europe can be equally well accessed from here," explained Richard Johnson, Vice President Information Technology and General Manager of the Johnson Controls Automotive Business Center. In addition, the company has had a positive experience in the last three years with its engineering center in Trencin, Slovakia, which focuses on the implementation and execution of engineering projects. The new Business Center will allow the company to strengthen its local presence in Slovakia and put it in an even better position to support its customers in the strong growth markets.

"Furthermore, it will provide leadership and service delivery capabilities of core business processes in finance, purchasing and information technology supporting our entire European automotive business" said Richard Johnson. The planning and definition for central strategies will remain driven from the Automotive Experience European headquarters in Burscheid, Germany.

Further Expansion is Planned

The new Automotive Business Center, covering three floors and measuring more than 4,800 square meters, has sufficient space for the 180 employees who found new jobs here as purchasing professionals, IT specialists, financial experts and in human resources functions. Employee numbers are expected to rise to a total of 350 by the end of next year. The company is also centralizing certain accounting functions here. The Automotive Business Center in Bratislava is the only facility in Europe complementing Johnson Controls' European headquarters in Burscheid in these functions.

Expansion in the Eastern European Growth Markets

Right from the beginning of the nineties, Johnson Controls has been continuously expanding its presence in the new growth markets and currently has 25 locations in Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Russia and Turkey. The new Automotive Business Center is part of this long-term strategy. It will allow the company to further improve how it meets the needs of automakers in Eastern Europe.

"Our new Automotive Business Center will strengthen our competitiveness and signifies a new chapter in the cooperation with our customers and suppliers in Eastern Europe," said Richard Johnson. Johnson Controls has been in Slovakia since 1993 and currently employs a total of 3,300 employees at seven locations. Besides the new Automotive Business Center in Bratislava, the company presence in Slovakia includes an engineering center in Trencín and production plants in Lozorno, Lucenec, Martin, Námestovo and Zilina.

Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) is the global leader that brings ingenuity to the places where people live, work and travel. By integrating technologies, products and services, we create smart environments that redefine the relationships between people and their surroundings. Our team of 140,000 employees creates a more comfortable, safe and sustainable world through our products and services for more than 200 million vehicles, 12 million homes and one million commercial buildings. Our commitment to sustainability drives our environmental stewardship, good corporate citizenship in our workplaces and communities, and the products and services we provide to customers. For additional information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com.

Further information is available from: Johnson Controls GmbH, Automotive Experience, European Headquarters, Industriestrasse 20-30, 51399 Burscheid, Germany Astrid Schafmeister, Tel: +49-2174-65-3189, Fax: +49-2174-65-3219, E-mail: astrid.schafmeister@jci.com, Ina Longwitz Tel: +49-2174-65-4343 E-mail: ina.longwitz@jci.com