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Date:
4/23/2007 Cecilia Haviland LOS ANGELES, CA – April 23, 2007 – HITCO CARBON COMPOSITES, INC. (HITCO), a subsidiary of Germany-based SGL GROUP, The Carbon Company (NYSE: SGG) is pleased to announce its purchase of a Cincinnati Machine CHARGERTM Automated Tape Layer (ATL) equipped with a new state-of-the-art contour tape head. The addition of this machine advances HITCO’s technology and productivity by enabling superior lay-up rates of carbon/epoxy tape. Parts varying in size from small to as large as a wing skin, a fuselage panel, or a horizontal stabilizer for a large aircraft can be constructed with high-speed precision to accelerate work flow. The parts produced on the ATL will exhibit the excellent quality of the most meticulous hand lay-up techniques while reducing labor and assembly costs, in-process inspection costs, material scrap, and re-work. This sophisticated yet easy-to-use equipment and software optimizes component design by utilizing manufacturing simulations resulting in greater accuracy. Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Edward G. Carson observed that, “This asset acquisition is one of many significant steps being made at HITCO to further enhance our capabilities and competitiveness in the aerospace industry. As this industry continues to seek the benefits from increased use of carbon composites, HITCO will continue to advance its technology and manufacturing capabilities to capitalize on the growing global demand. We continue to build on HITCO’s eighty-five year history as a significant contributor to the global aerospace industry.” HITCO Carbon Composites, Inc. was founded in 1922 and manufactures advanced composite materials primarily for aerospace and defense applications. HITCO continues to be an innovative leader in the advancement of carbon composite technologies, and continues to strategically focus within the SGL Group on new projects for aerospace/aircraft and defense applications.
SGL Group – The Carbon Company The SGL Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products. It has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibers and composites. SGL Group’s core competencies are its expertise in high-temperature technology as well as, its applications and engineering know how, gained over many years. These competencies enable the Company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group’s carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity, heat, and corrosion resistance as well as, high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to the paradigm shift in the use of materials because of the worldwide shortage of energy and raw materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group’s high-performance materials and products from an increasing number of industries. Carbon and graphite products are used whenever other materials such as steel, aluminum, copper, plastics, wood etc. fail due to their limited properties. Products from the SGL Group are used predominantly in the steel, aluminum, automotive, chemical, and glass/ceramics industries. However, manufacturers in the semiconductor, battery, solar/wind energy, environmental protection, aerospace, and defense industries as well as, in the nuclear energy industry also figure among the Company’s customers.
Important note: This press release contains statements on future developments that are based on currently available information and that involve risks and uncertainties that could lead to actual results deviating from these forward-looking statements. The statements on future developments are not to be understood as guarantees. The future developments and events are dependent on a number of factors: they include various risks and unanticipated circumstances and are based on assumptions that may not be correct. These risks and uncertainties include for example, unforeseeable changes in political, economic and business conditions, particularly in the area of electrosteel production, the competitive situation, interest rate and currency developments, technological developments and other risks and unanticipated circumstances. We see other risks in price developments, unexpected developments relating to acquired and consolidated companies and in the ongoing cost optimization programs. SGL Carbon does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
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