ITT Industries’ Plant Received IndustryWeek’s Award as One of 14 Best Manufacturing Plants in North America and Europe

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- ITT Industries, Inc.'s

(NYSE: ITT) Galfer manufacturing plant in Barge, Italy has been named one of the 14 Best Manufacturing Plants in North America and Europe by IndustryWeek magazine. The facility, which produces brake friction material for the transportation industry, and its manager Riccardo Trossi, will be featured in the publication's 11th annual Best Plants issue that appears on newsstands on

October 16. As part of its selection, ITT Industries will receive a

commemorative award at ceremonies later this year. The honor recognizes world-class manufacturing capabilities and a management mindset of continuous improvement.

"It is an honor for the entire corporation to have the Galfer plant named as one of IndustryWeek's best plants, and is a reflection of the excellent management in place at Galfer," said Lou Giuliano, president and chief operating officer, ITT Industries. "We have many excellent facilities, and have long recognized the work of Riccardo Trossi and the entire workforce at Galfer as being the best of the best, continuously improving their processes and product. It is gratifying to see an independent third party validate

this."

ITT's Galfer plant was selected from more than 250 facilities nominated.

Plants reported performance metrics and practices in such categories as benchmarking, customer and supplier relations, inventory management, manufacturing operations and flexibility, market results, productivity, quality, and use of technology, employee involvement, environment and safety programs, and community involvement.

"These plants in North America and Europe set the standard for excellence in manufacturing," said IndustryWeek Executive Editor Patricia Panchak. "They define the winning strategies for achieving world-class performance. IW is proud to celebrate the winners' success and share their stories. Their tales of competing in the ultra-competitive world of manufacturing are not only

inspirations for managers everywhere, but are tried-and-true road maps for world-class manufacturing."

The complete list of winners and a profile of ITT Industries' Galfer plant can be found at http://www.industryweek.com/iwinprint/bestplants.

In addition, to the IndustryWeek recognition, ITT Industries was ranked second in its industry category in Fortune magazine's list of America's Most Admired Companies in 1999. The company was also recently re-named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, which tracks the performance of the leading sustainability driven companies worldwide.

ITT Industries, Inc. (http://www.ittind.com) supplies advanced technology products and services in key markets including: electronic interconnects and switches; defense communication, opto-electronics, information technology and services; fluid and water management and specialty products. Headquartered in

White Plains, NY, the company generated $4.6 billion in 1999 sales, and employs approximately 38,000 people around the world.

SOURCE ITT Industries, Inc.