LNP INTRODUCES FOUR NEW VERTON® LONG FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITES MATERIALS

BERGEN OP ZOOM – June 23, 2003 – LNP Engineering Plastics, a GE Plastics Company (NYSE: GE) headquartered in Exton, Pa., announced that it has added four new products to its family of VERTON® long fiber reinforced composites. LNP developed the new materials – VERTON XENOY®, VERTON WF Series, VERTON MFX Concentrate, and VERTON UF composites – to offer additional high-performance product options to design engineers in a wide variety of markets and applications.

The new materials are based on LNP’s proven VERTON long glass fiber reinforced technology, which provides superior mechanical properties compared with short glass fiber reinforced materials. Specifically, the new materials include: VERTON XENOY composite for structural aesthetic automotive and off-road vehicle applications; VERTON WF composite – based on GE Plastics’ VALOX® resin – a tight-tolerance material for high-moisture automotive and marine applications; VERTON MFX Concentrate composite, a 70% glass, cost-effective polypropylene concentrate for large industrial and automotive component applications; and VERTON UF composite based on PPA for high-temperature, under-the-hood automotive applications. (For additional details on these products, please see attached fact sheet).

“With the new VERTON products, we plan to reach previously untapped segments of the automotive, marine, and off-road vehicles markets,” said Matt Miklos, global VERTON business leader for LNP. “These products extend the traditional design space of long fiber composites into exciting, emerging areas like high-moisture, high temperature and structural aesthetic applications.”

“Through the ongoing development of new VERTON materials and niche market applications, LNP is demonstrating its commitment to maintaining its global leadership in long fiber technology,” said Charlie Crew, president and CEO of LNP. “In fact, we’re making investments across the board to ensure that LNP continues to be at the forefront of this technology.”

As one example of this commitment, LNP formed a manufacturing alliance with Asahi Fiber Glass of Japan in March to extend the company’s reach into the Asia-Pacific region for long fiber reinforced composites. The move provides LNP with manufacturing capabilities in all three major automotive manufacturing sectors globally. Additionally, LNP recently completed its state-of-the-art VERTON Technology Center in Columbus, Ind. to accelerate development of new VERTON composites and manufacturing processes.

LNP’s VERTON long glass fiber reinforced composites are produced by a proprietary pultrusion process. They are available based on nylon 6/6, nylon 6, polypropylene, polyphthalamide and other engineering thermoplastics. All VERTON materials offer a unique combination of critical properties for metal replacement and other applications requiring light weight, strength, stiffness, and impact resistance. Key markets for VERTON composites include automotive, furniture, fluid-handling/pump, agricultural, recreation, building/hardware and marine.

Reader enquiries

LNP Engineering Plastics
Plasticslaan 1
4600 AC Bergen op Zoom
Netherlands

Banu Kukner
banu.kukner@gepex.ge.com

Tel: +31 164 29 16 05
Fax: +31 164 29 10 66
Netherlands

+31 164 29 16 05

banu.kukner@​gepex.ge.com

www.LNP.com