DriveSol Worldwide, Inc., a Global Leader in Driver Control Systems, Purchases the Assets of Timken Company's Global Steering Business

DriveSol Worldwide, Inc., a Global Leader in Driver Control Systems, Purchases the Assets of Timken Company's Global Steering Business

December 21, 2006

-- Acquisition focuses driveSol on global electric power
assist steering 
(EPAS) markets providing the electric steering technology
base for integrated 
steering column/pedal product development


    TROY, Mich., Dec. 20 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- DriveSol
Worldwide, Inc. 
("DriveSol"), an affiliate of Sun Capital
Partners, Inc., announced today 
that it has acquired the assets of Timken Company's Global
Steering 
Business. Timken Company's Global Steering Business designs
and manufactures 
intermediate shafts, column shafts, and components in North
America and 
steering columns in South America for OEM manufacturers and
Tier I automotive 
suppliers. The 2005 global sales for the Global Steering
Business were 
approximately $110 million. DriveSol Worldwide, Inc. is a
leading 
manufacturer of pedals, adjustable pedals, electronic
throttle control pedals 
("ETC"), and other highly engineered driving
solutions for the global 
automotive industry. DriveSol, with global sales of
approximately $170 
million, is currently supplying products to most major
global automotive 
OEMs. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

    Mark T. Simon, DriveSol Worldwide CEO, stated,
"The acquisition of this 
steering column business is another step forward towards
implementing our 
long-range strategy of becoming a global leader in driver
control systems and 
puts us back into the steering column/pedal sub-system
market where we once 
supplied Land Rover and other European OEMs. As the
automotive electronic 
drive-by-wire concept evolves, we will now be in a position
to offer our 
customers a full brake, accelerator, and steering-by-wire
plug in system. 
With Timken's Brazil facility we have become a truly
globally integrated 
steering/pedal product development company with combined
engineering and 
research, development, and manufacturing resources
effectively in the North 
and South America, East and West Europe, Japan, and China
markets." 
 
    The Timken Global Steering Business has manufacturing
facilities in 
Watertown, Connecticut and in Nova Friburgo, Brazil. Each
of these locations 
has design engineering, product development, process
engineering testing, and 
sales and marketing capabilities. Worldwide, the Global
Steering Business has 
an experienced workforce of approximately 900 employees.
DriveSol Worldwide, 
Inc. employs over 850 people and currently has full service
engineering 
technical centers located in Troy, Michigan; Gothenburg,
Sweden; and 
Chongquing, China.    
            
    About The Timken Company

    The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR) keeps the world turning,
with innovative 
ways to make customers' products run smoother, faster and
more efficiently.  
Timken's highly engineered bearings, alloy steels and
related products and 
services turn up everywhere.  With operations in 27
countries, sales of $5.2 
billion in 2005 and 27,000 employees, Timken is Where You
Turn(TM) for better 
performance. For more information, please see:
http://www.timken.com .

    About DriveSol Worldwide, Inc.

    DriveSol Worldwide Inc. is one of the leading
designers, developers, and 
manufacturers of fixed and adjustable pedal systems,
electronic throttle 
control pedals ("ETC"), and other
highly-engineered driving solutions to 
global automotive OEMs in North America, Europe, Japan, and
China. 
Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, DriveSol has manufacturing
facilities 
located in Kendallville, IN; Lyons, OH; Dalstorp, Sweden;
Chongquing, China; 
Changwon City, Korea; Van Buren Twp., Michigan; and
strategic alliances in 
Mexico and Slovakia. For more information, please see: 
http://www.drivesol.com .

    About Sun Capital Partners, Inc.

    Sun Capital Partners, Inc. is a leading private
investment firm focused 
on leveraged buyouts, equity, debt, and other investments
in market-leading 
companies that can benefit from its in-house operating
professionals and 
experience. Sun Capital affiliates have invested in and
managed more than 135 
companies worldwide with combined sales in excess of $30.0
billion since Sun 
Capital's inception in 1995. Sun Capital has offices in
Boca Raton, Los 
Angeles, New York, and Shenzhen, China as well as advisory
offices in London 
and Tokyo.    



    For more information, please contact:

     Allan G. Hall
     Hall Industrial Publicity, Inc.
     Tel:   [phone]
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

     Rex Smith, VP Sales & Marketing
     DriveSol Worldwide, Inc.
     Tel:   [phone]
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

     Gary M. Talarico, Managing Director
     Sun Capital Partners, Inc.
     Tel:   [phone]


SOURCE  DriveSol Worldwide, Inc.