25 Oct 2001

EDGETEK® compound from PolyOne solves weight problem in sports application

DUSSELDORF, October 25, 2001 - A custom EDGETEK high modulus compound developed by engineers at PolyOne Engineered Materials S.A. France was selected by Salomon, a leading manufacturer of winter sports equipment, to help significantly reduce the weight of a new model in their top-of-the-range inline skates.

The sports and leisure markets are increasingly demanding innovative materials providing better performance and weight savings, for example, while maintaining a highly aesthetically desirable finished product. Salomon develops and manufactures products that address the needs of customers with all levels of experience, while sustaining performance, safety and style.

One key challenge with the new model was to reduce the weight of the heel support frame by 10 percent, while maintaining the very high stiffness obtained with the 45 percent glass fiber-filled polyamide traditionally used.

Engineers at PolyOne Engineered Materials S.A. France developed the tailor-made EDGETEK compound using a polyamide with 30 percent carbon fiber, generating a weight saving of 150g per pair while successfully maintaining the required stiffness. However, initial testing revealed insufficient impact strength. After further research, drawing on PolyOne Corporation’s extensive knowledge of polymers, fillers and additives, a new sample was developed which provided more than double the impact performance thereby surpassing Salomon’s stringent requirements.

EDGETEK is a range of reinforced polymers for structural applications demanding high modulus, tensile strength, low warp, creep and shrinkage, and uses combinations of polymer and fillers to meet the most stringent requirements.

PolyOne is featuring the company’s vast portfolio of products for the plastics industry and end-use applications for a broad array of market segments in the new hall 6 stand 6C40 here at the ‘K’ show, the industry’s largest international triennial exhibition staged from October 25 to November 1.

Reader enquiries

PolyOne Corporation
33587 Walker Road
Cleveland
Ohio
U.S.A.

+1 440 930 1000

www.polyone.com

Notes for editors

About PolyOne:

PolyOne Corporation, with revenues of approximately $3 billion, is an international polymer services company with operations in thermoplastic compounds, specialty resins, specialty polymer formulations, engineered films, color and additive systems, elastomer compounding and thermoplastic resin distribution.

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, PolyOne has more than 9,000 employees at 80 manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, and joint ventures in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Information on the Company’s products and services can be found at www.polyone.com.

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This release contains statements concerning trends and other forward-looking information affecting or relating to PolyOne Corporation and its industries that are intended to qualify for the protections afforded “forward-looking statements” under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ materially from such statements for a variety of factors including, but not limited to: (1) the risk that the former Geon and M.A. Hanna businesses will not be integrated successfully; (2) an inability to achieve or delays in achieving savings related to the consolidation and restructuring programs; (3) unanticipated delays in achieving or inability to achieve cost reduction and employee productivity goals; (4) costs related to the consolidation of Geon and M.A. Hanna; (5) the effect on foreign operations of currency fluctuations, tariffs, nationalization, exchange controls, limitations on foreign investment in local businesses, and other political, economic and regulatory risks; (6) unanticipated changes in world, regional or U.S. PVC or other plastics consumption growth rates affecting the Corporation’s markets; (7) unanticipated changes in global industry capacity or in the rate at which anticipated changes in industry capacity come online in the PVC, VCM, chlor-alkali or other industries in which the Company participates; (8) fluctuations in raw material prices and supply, and in particular fluctuations outside the normal range of industry cycles; (9) unanticipated production outages or material costs associated with scheduled or unscheduled maintenance programs; (10) unanticipated delay in realizing, or inability to realize, expected cost savings from acquisitions; (11) unanticipated costs or difficulties and delays related to the operation of the joint venture entities; (12) lack of day-to-day operating control, including procurement of raw material feedstocks, of the OxyVinyls partnership; (13) lack of direct control over the reliability of delivery and quality of the primary raw materials utilized in the Company’s products; (14) partial control over investment decisions and dividend distribution policy of the OxyVinyls partnership.of day-to-day operating control, including procurement of raw material feedstocks, of the OxyVinyls partnership; (13) lack of direct control over the reliability of delivery and quality of the primary raw materials utilized in the Company’s products; (14) partial control over investment decisions and dividend distribution policy of the OxyVinyls partnership.