AP Exhaust Products


Monday, August 21, 2006 *PRESS RELEASE* With the sale of the AP North American Aftermarket Division in 1998 to private ownership the company lost the use of the AP name in the aftermarket due to continued AP original equipment operations. This resulted in the establishment of Goerlich’s, Inc. for our ongoing operations in North Carolina. Additionally, the Merit exhaust brand was introduced to replace AP branded products sold throughout the aftermarket distribution channel. Today, I am pleased to announce that following several years of persistent inquiry and research our company has been granted use again of the AP trademark as a corporate identity and market brand name. This is great news, as AP was known as the market leader and still today retains a very high level of awareness throughout the aftermarket. Over the next several months a marketing plan will commence to replace all existing brands; Goerlich’s, Merit & TruckEx, with one brand, AP Exhaust Products. Also, our corporate identity will change from Goerlich’s, Inc. to AP Exhaust Products Incorporated, effective immediately, and will appear on a multitude of transitional documents. There are many aspects of this change that will positively affect our company and our customers. The single brand strategy will strengthen our recognition in the aftermarket while improving the utilization of a multitude of systems and resources. Communication documents, product branding and packaging, sales and marketing programs, trade advertising, trade shows, cataloging, and e-commerce are just a few of the elements that will be used to facilitate the corporate and market brand identity change. Our company will be celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2007. The reintroduction of AP is a great way to kick off an exciting year of change. Press releases concerning this announcement have been sent to several media outlets for immediate release. Your support of this change and all the efforts that will be necessary to make this transition a success is appreciated. Vange Proimos President/CEO Back to Product News

AP EXHAUST PRODUCTS | 300 DIXIE TRAIL GOLDSBORO NC 27530-7198