ArvinMeritor Celebrates a Heritage of Developing Breakthrough Clean Air Solutions
June marks the fortieth anniversary of the
development anniversary of the catalytic converter
TROY, Mich., (June 11,
2004) — ArvinMeritor, Inc. (NYSE:
ARM) celebrates 40 years of providing innovative, effective
clean air solutions to the transportation industry this
month.
The Beatles were wowing America on the Ed Sullivan
Show. Martin Luther King was being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. And the
first Ford Mustang was about to roll down the lines in Dearborn,
Mich.
It was on June 17, 1964, that the California Motor
Vehicle Pollution Control Board (MVPCB) approved Arvin Industries’ (an
ArvinMeritor precursor) catalytic converter control “device” for new-car
application – an event that would eventually impact the auto industry
dramatically. Today, virtually every gasoline-powered car and truck in the
United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia and much of Asia has an exhaust
system with a catalytic converter, which reduces exhaust emissions to a tiny
fraction of what they were four decades ago.
That same experience and expertise in light vehicle
exhaust technology is now being applied to diesel engine exhaust emissions –
generally regarded as the biggest clean-air challenge of our generation.
Aimed at heavy truck, light truck and passenger car applications in North
America, Europe and Asia, ArvinMeritor’s Clean Air Solutions portfolio is
comprised of products and technologies available today, as well as those under
development. These advances provide effective applications to meet
upcoming near-term diesel exhaust emission regulations, as well as provide
innovative solutions for the increasingly stringent standards mandated for the
future.
Arvin began a serious study of the treatment of
vehicular exhaust emissions in 1957, when it was
first established that they were a likely contributor to smog. Early work
surrounded both catalytic mufflers and flame after burners. In October
1960, Universal Oil Products Company and Arvin signed an agreement to exchange
technical information and to cooperate in testing catalytic devices. By
1961, Arvin had submitted a formal application to the California Motor Vehicle
Pollution Control Board (MVPCB) for testing of the “catalytic device.”
More than 20 companies submitted applications, but only nine – of which Arvin
was one – were accepted.
After exhaustive research, laboratory testing and a
million-plus miles of driving tests, the Arvin device received its approval for
new-car application in 1964. Moreover, the emission level from cars using
Arvin’s device met California’s projected 1970 pollution control standards six
years before they went into effect.
Later in 1964, while automakers approached the
emissions control challenge by making engine, carburetor and ignition
modifications, Arvin continued to work with the auto manufacturers and the MVPCB
on the best long-term emissions solution. Efforts paid off in 1974, when
U.S. auto manufacturers ordered the first catalytic converters to be installed
in production vehicles.
Today, the catalytic converter is the primary
technology employed by the global auto industry to control exhaust emissions of
light vehicles. And, in its pioneering work in the development of catalytic
converter exhaust systems, Arvin Industries substantially changed the automotive
world and impacted air emissions for the better.
ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a premier $8-billion global
supplier of a broad range of integrated systems, modules and components to the
motor vehicle industry. The company serves light vehicle, commercial
truck, trailer and specialty original equipment manufacturers and related
aftermarkets. Headquartered in Troy, Mich., ArvinMeritor employs
approximately 32,000 people at more than 150 manufacturing facilities in 27
countries. ArvinMeritor common stock is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the ticker symbol ARM. For more information, visit the
company’s Web site at: http://www.arvinmeritor.com/.
# # #
