Thomas & Betts Corp.'s Athens, Tenn. Manufacturing Facility Named One of IndustryWeek's Top 10 Plants for 2005


Annual Award Recognizes North America's 10 Best Manufacturing Facilities

ATHENS, Tenn., Sept. 19, 2005 - Thomas & Betts Corporation's (NYSE:TNB) Athens, Tenn. facility has been selected by Penton Media's (OTCBB: PTON) IndustryWeek magazine, a leading publication among senior manufacturing executives, as one of this year's 10 IndustryWeek Best Plants in North America. In its 16th year, IndustryWeek's Best Plants Award Program recognizes outstanding manufacturing facilities that lead in efforts to increase competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction and create stimulating and rewarding work environments.

"We are extremely proud to be recognized by IndustryWeek with this prestigious award," said Herb Bradshaw, Athens plant manager. "It is a testament to the hard work of our employees and their unwavering commitment to excellence and total customer satisfaction."

Thomas & Betts Corp.'s Athens, Tenn., plant will receive a commemoration at ceremonies scheduled for Friday, Sept. 23, 2005. Thomas & Betts' plant was one of more than 220 facilities nominated between October 2004 and March 2005.

The complete list of winners and an in-depth profile of Thomas & Betts Corporation's Athens, Tennessee Operations can be found at http://www.industryweek.com/iwbestplants.

Thomas & Betts Corporation's Athens, Tennessee Operations

Thomas & Betts produces more than 3,000 different products each month, including leading brands such as Steel City®, Superstrut®, Kindorf® and Taylor®, at its 324,000-square-foot facility in Athens, Tenn. Built in 1965, the facility employs approximately 400 people. Thomas & Betts acquired it in 1992. Today, the facility has acquired more than 1.4 million hours without a lost time accident since 2003.

In mid-year 2001, Thomas & Betts initiated a Lean Manufacturing program, which identifies and eliminates waste in a process through techniques such as Value Stream Mapping and formal Kaizen events. In 2002, the company added the Six Sigma program, a statistical approach that increases profitability by reducing defects. As a result, finished good inventory has decreased by 32 percent, raw material and work-in-
progress inventory by 74 percent, and customer complaints by 50 percent since 2001.

About Thomas & Betts Corporation

Thomas & Betts Corporation (www.tnb.com) is a leading designer and manufacturer of electrical connectors and components used in industrial, commercial, communications and utility markets. The company is also a leading producer of commercial heating units and highly engineered steel structures used for utility transmission, among other applications. With headquarters in Memphis, Tenn., the company has manufacturing, distribution and office facilities worldwide and reported sales of $ 1.5 billion in 2004. Additional information is available at www.tnb.com.

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