GE’s Recommitment to Cycolac* and Geloy* Resins Business Already Shows Positive Customer Benefits

BERGEN OP ZOOM, THE NETHERLANDS – June 29, 2005 – Since announcing in February a refocus of resources on its Cycolac* and Geloy* resins business, GE Plastics, a unit of GE (NYSE:GE), has put in place a new organization dedicated to drive new growth opportunities for these materials globally. This reinvigorated approach to the market has excited interest as well as reaffirmed the company’s continuing commitment to play a leadership role in the development of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and acrylic-styrene-acrylonitrile (ASA) products and applications. Importantly, under the guidance of vice president and general manager, Charlie Crew, the organization is already delivering benefits to customers through more concentrated and coordinated services.

A customer event to be held at Beauvais, France, one of the two European Production Centers for Cycolac and Geloy resins will give emphasis to the new organization’s objective and recent successes. “The event will give customers an opportunity to find out first hand the changes that are taking place and, importantly, how they can benefit directly from the new dedicated organization structure we have put in place. Particularly in respect of the services now dedicated to assisting customers with fast new product development,” explains Bas Blom, director Europe for Cycolac and Geloy resin products.

Aesthetic appeal, functionality and consistently high, long-term performance in a range of environments characterize Cycolac and Geloy resins. Moreover, their versatility is a positive aid to innovation and their easy processing allows that innovation can be achieved without cost penalty, thereby ideally serving the needs of the designer, design engineers, molder, OEM and end user.

The Cycolac family of ABS offers excellent mechanical, aesthetic and thermal properties, as well as high resistance to impact and heat, plus superb flow, which allows production of thin-wall parts with short cycle times. All grades are available in a wide range of colors, characterized by a rich, glossy surface finish, with intense depth of color and good scratch resistance. The Cycolac resin portfolio’s key differentiator is its exclusive range of high-performance specialty grades that meet application demands for electroplating, high heat, flame resistance and novel aesthetics.

The Geloy family of ASA resins is distinguished by weatherability, good chemical resistance, retention of mechanical performance and good processability. Comprising both amorphous and elastomeric components, Geloy resins exhibit superior stress resistance and toughness together with good thermal and electrical properties. In addition, they offer good colorability and plateability to satisfy a broad range of color and aesthetic requirements.

Moreover, the development of Geloy XTW resin, one of a portfolio of X GEN* resins offering extreme performance clearly differentiates GE’s advanced ASA technology from other comparable materials. Geloy XTW delivers extreme weatherability, offering up to 3 to 5 times the color and gloss retention of traditional ASA’s and greatly extending the performance and aesthetics of outdoor applications exposed to the punishing effects of UV.

According to Crew: “We believe there is significant unrecognized and untapped potential for Cycolac and Geloy resins. Their property profiles enable designers to meet a wide spectrum of performance criteria without having to resort to specialty materials and the higher costs of over-engineering an application.

“In the same way they open the possibility for replacing more expensive materials in a range of existing applications. For example appearance parts that currently require painting or other secondary operations to achieve the desired aesthetic finish.

“Through our dedicated regional sales and technical teams, backed by the new organization, we are concentrating our energies on helping customers realize the full package of benefits that Cycolac and Geloy resins can potentially bring to their processes and applications.”

In additio

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GE Plastics
Plasticslaan 1
4600 AC Bergen op Zoom
Netherlands

Helen Vandebovenkamp
helen.vandebovenkamp@ge.com

Tel: +31 164 29 20 97
Fax: +31 164 29 10 66
Netherlands

+31 164 29 20 97

helen.vandebovenkamp@​ge.com

www.geplastics.com