Fender's New Guitar Factory Scheduled to Open in 1998

January 29, 1998 -- Fender Musical Instruments Corp.'s new 165,000 square foot guitar plant is currently under construction on a 19 acre site, using nine acres for the facility with ten-and-a-half acres slated for future growth. In September 1997, the company broke ground on the site, which is located near the company's existing facilities in Corona, California. Completion is scheduled for the second half of 1998.

The new facility will house all of the Company's domestic guitar production, other than the Fender Custom Shop in Corona and Guild Guitars in Westerly, Rhode Island.

"State-of-the-art environmental control equipment as well as more efficient factory logistics and processes will enable us to continue to make the best quality product in the world," says Kurt Heinrich, Fender's senior executive vice president.

At the new Fender plant, the innovative UVOX(TM) system will combine ultraviolet light, a special scrubber process and a carbon bed absorption system to help ensure that the air emitted from the facility is more than 95 percent clean.

For more information, visit their web site at www.fender.com.