“We are proud to be the only supplier in the history of the Boeing C-17 program that has been awarded ‘Supplier of the Month’ more than once.  We are looking forward to continue our tradition of rapid response to build high-quality components as we fulfill our new contract to build an additional 22 ship sets of fully kitted tail cones and large vapor barriers,” said Edward G. Carson, HITCO’s Chief Operating Officer.  He continued, “The HITCO team has delivered over 150 C-17 tail cones to date.  We are committed to continuous improvement in the production of these large components for this critically important military platform.  We are honored to receive repeat recognition from Boeing in the form of their “Supplier of the Month” designation for our performance in the C-17 Program.  Our near-term investment plan, which includes automated tape laying and automated fiber placement equipment as well as, other improvements, enables us to expand our presence as a value-added composite structures partner to C-17 and other Boeing military and commercial programs.”

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.

With around 30 production sites in Europe, North America, and Asia as well as, a service network covering more than 100 countries, the SGL Group is a company with a global presence.  In 2006, the Company’s workforce of 5,250 generated sales of 1.2 billion Euros.  The Company’s head office is located in Wiesbaden, Germany.

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.