17 Oct 2003

DSM Engineering Plastics announces Akulon^®expansion for India

DSM Engineering Plastics has announced that it is to double its capacity in Pune, India for the production of Akulon^® Polyamide 6 and 66 compounds. This news follows a number of other new investment statements made last month.

In making the announcement, Jos Goessens, President DSM Engineering Plastics, said: “This investment demonstrates the significance we place on the Indian market. We believe that India is set for excellent economic growth in the coming years and we foresee a growing demand. Prospects are good and we want to be ready to meet the requirements of the industry.”

Akulon^® Polyamide 6 and 66 is used extensively for applications in automotive, E&E and leisure and consumer goods. As film it is used in packaging, especially for food applications. Recently, DSM Engineering Plastics announced the introduction of two new grades: Akulon^® Ultraflow and Akulon^® XP – for film applications.

DSM Engineering Plastics has been compounding in Pune for 4 years now. In that time the Company has become a leading supplier of both Polyamide and Polyester in the region. DSM Engineering Plastics offers a cohesive portfolio of high performing engineering plastics, consisting of polyamides, polyesters, elastomeric copolyesters, polycarbonate, Ultra High Molecular Weight PE and extrudable adhesive resins.

These materials are produced at a number of polymerisation and compounding facilities In Europe (Netherlands; Belgium; Germany), North America (Indiana; Georgia;Canada) and Asia Pacific (China; India;Japan).

Reader enquiries

DSM Engineering Materials
30 Pasir Panjang Road #13-31
Mapletree Business City
Singapore 117440
Singapore

Notes for editors

DSM Engineering Plastics

DSM Engineering Plastics is a business group forming part of DSM’s Performance Materials cluster. DSM EP is a global supplier of Stanyl^® PA46 and Akulon^® 6 and 66 polyamides, Arnitel^® TPE-E, Arnite^® PBT and PET polyesters, Xantar^® Polycarbonate and PC-blends, Yparex^® extrudable adhesive resins, and Stamylan^® UH Ultra High Molecular Weight PE. These materials are used in technical components for electrical appliances, electronic equipment and cars, in barrier packaging films as well as in many mechanical and extrusion applications. The business group had annual sales of EUR 579 million in 2002. DSM Engineering Plastics has a market share of about 5% in the world market. With Stanyl^®, it is the global market leader in high heat polyamides.

DSM N.V.

DSM is active worldwide in life science products, performance materials and industrial chemicals. The group has annual sales (pro forma including the recently acquired

DNP business) of around EUR 8 billion and employs about 25,500 people across the world. DSM ranks among the global leaders in many of its fields. The company’s strategic aim is to grow its sales – partly through acquisitions – to a level of approximately EUR 10 billion by 2005. By that time specialties, i.e. advanced chemical and biotechnological products for the life science industry and performance materials should generate at least 80% of sales. This strategy represents a continuation of the company’s ongoing transformation and concentration on global leadership positions in high-added-value activities characterized by high growth and more stable profit levels. More information about DSM can be found at www.dsm.com.