— For the past 18 years, Federal-Mogul in Athens has been a major employer in Limestone County and an integral part of the area’s economy.

According to Jim Burke, director of Federal-Mogul’s corporate communications, the Athens plant started in 1973 as DAB making bushings and bearings and was acquired by Federal-Mogul in 1992.

There are approximately 470 employees at the plant under the direction of Plant Manager Robbie Day. The site manufactures engines, transmission and axle seals, cylinder head and exhaust manifold gaskets for original equipment manufacturers and original equipment suppliers in both the passenger vehicle and heavy-duty vehicle markets. Such products serve approximately 45 customers, including major vehicle and engine manufacturers.

“Federal-Mogul is focused on generating sustainable global profitable growth to create value and satisfaction for its customers, shareholders and employees,” said Burke. “Each Federal-Mogul manufacturing plant, like the Athens operation, can contribute to the company’s strategy by manufacturing world-class quality products as safely and efficiently as possible.”

Burke added that aside from the vehicle market, Federal-Mogul is pursuing growth opportunities in the industrial and commercial markets including aerospace, railway, agriculture, construction, freighters and ferries, generators, hydroelectric turbine, passenger shipping, recreational marine, turbine engine and small engine.

Examples of products that Federal-Mogul supplies to these markets include specialized piston ring designs for large bore engines, specialized commercial bearing designs for windmills and power generation, and specialized system protection sleeving for aircraft wiring harnesses.

Burke said when it comes to the economy, the automotive market was clearly stronger in 2010 compared to 2009. “The higher levels of vehicle production among the major automotive OEMs in 2010 was beneficial to the Athens plant and to Federal-Mogul overall, since the company provides leading technology for over 750 vehicle powertrains and 300 vehicle platforms globally,” Burke said. “Federal-Mogul is unique in its regional, customer and product portfolio, however, and realizes many benefits from this diversification. For instance, approximately 60 percent of Federal-Mogul’s revenue is derived from the original equipment industry and 40 percent for the aftermarket industry. In addition, the company has a growing energy, industrial and transport business. This diverse revenue stream helps to buffer the company from downward trends in each of these industries.”

According to Burke, much of Federal-Mogul’s success is based on strong relationships with customers and the Internet provides many opportunities to further those relationships and to establish new ones. “The Internet affords our current customers — and those less familiar with our breadth of products and technologies — a tool to access information at their convenience when they need it,” Burke said.

As a global corporation, Federal-Mogul utilizes numerous means to grow its customer base. “There are a variety of electronic tools that support this effort including the content on federalmogul.com, the prominence of Federal-Mogul and its brands in search engines and an e-catalog, fme-cat.com, which enables consumers to search for an aftermarket part to fit their particular vehicle,” Burke said.