GLS Demonstrates Commitment to Multinational & Local Customers via TPE Leadership, Expanding Production & New Technical Services

GUANGZHOU, CHINA – May 21, 2007 – At Chinaplas 2007, GLS Corp., a global leader in the development, manufacture, and supply of high-performance, custom-formulated thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), is marking the upcoming one-year anniversary of the opening of its manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China, by highlighting key growth milestones and ambitious plans for the future. GLS, which opened the facility in June 2006, has already doubled the number of grades produced there to more than 40; added a new compounding line to significantly increase capacity; and achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification. The company is also aggressively expanding its R&D staff and technical support services, and is planning to add more high-performance TPEs.

“We are rapidly building and diversifying our production and technical support infrastructure in Suzhou to give our multinational and Chinese customers a convenient, single source for customized TPEs,” said Walter Ripple, director of sales and marketing for GLS Corp. “We’ve already achieved many of the key goals in our strategic plan, and expect to double capacity by year’s end, expand our R&D facilities, and add a range of new products.”

GLS built the 80,000-square-foot manufacturing facility to meet increasing demand for its TPE products in China, Greater Asia, and worldwide. The Suzhou Industrial Park, located approximately 80km from Shanghai, provides access to a highly experienced workforce, convenient shipping, and other business resources. In the past year, the plant’s staff has doubled and the Asia sales force has been augmented with additional technically trained personnel.

Currently, the GLS Suzhou facility produces more than 40 different grades of TPEs locally, including custom-formulated grades, as well as the new DYNAFLEX® 7600 and 2700 series of branded TPEs. The facility offers customers the opportunity to rapidly specify and obtain customized grades for applications such as medical devices, consumer electronics, food packaging, personal care products, hand and power tools, and infant care products.

Recent ISO 9001:2000 certification of the Suzhou facility ensures the same consistent high-quality across all GLS manufacturing sites. Also, GLS manufacturing and quality systems are identical to those used to produce GLS goods in the United States, further ensuring the highest standards on which global and local customers have come to rely. Material compliance – whether to FDA, EU, UL, or NSF certifications – is another part of GLS’s Quality and Compliance System where suppliers of individual raw materials are interviewed to verify that their materials are compliant. By internally qualifying new materials, GLS can assure product lines maintain certification, which is extremely important in healthcare, infant care, and food contact applications where the majority of GLS’s products are used.

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