FAG Chairman Uwe Loos has become dramatically more outspoken in his efforts to gain shareholder support, asking them not to tender their shares to hostile takeover opponent INA. He also said FAG would soon be providing details about its planned defenses against INA's 11 Euro per share hostile takeover bid.

Speaking to employees in the company's Schweinfurt headquarters about the INA bid, he said, "management will do everything to stop the FAG Kugelfischer sellout."

Mr. Loos also told employees, "the alliance with NTN will be a giant leap for FAG and we don't rule out further cooperations." Some German business newspapers have been suggesting FAG and NTN may seek to join forces with the U.S. Timken Company.

In an earlier statement, Mr. Loos accused INA of wanting to destroy FAG, that it would become, "a toy in the hands of a secretive family company."

INA is privately held and has had only Schaeffler family shareholders since its founding in 1946.

INA's CEO, Jurgen Geissinger, also came under fire for his statement that INA doesn't plan any job cuts if its bid is successful. Mr. Loos told employees that Mr. Geissinger is, "out of touch with reality," and that FAG would have "departments shut down, outsourced, dissolved and see their standing reduced." He further called Mr. Geissinger's position, "surreal," and that, "for the workers a takeover would mean less democracy, a lack of transparency and less information."

Representatives of FAG's 18,000 employees have met with INA representatives. INA's Mr. Geissinger said, "we are confident that our plan will also be convincing from the employees' point of view."