MAJOR EXPANSION PROJECTS ANNOUNCED

Major expansion projects got the green light for various lneos Acrylics' plants in the United States including a project which will be the first major change since 1934 in the way methylmethacrylate (MMA) is processed.

The Board of Directors at INEOS Acrylics announced the approved construction of a plant for its new, patented ethylene-based process to make MMA. "This is the first major step change in MMA technology since our predecessor, ICI, invented the commercial route to MMA in 1934," said Scott, Davidson, CEO of lneos Acrylics' worldwide operations.

This revolutionary technology has been developed over the past seven, years and will require only a relatively short "pilot" stage emerging at the end of 2001, according to Ross McMillan, Sr. VP Ineos Acrylics Americas operations.

The board also approved several key expansion projects for its U.S. Operations following a strategic review of the business. Included is the expansion of their Olive Branch, MS wide-width, automated LUCITE®CP extruded sheet capability and its continuous hot-melt acrylic polymer feed capacity by 45 million pounds. This increases its extruded sheet product offering for customers to 120 million pounds. Including its Memphis LUCITE® continuous cast sheet line, lneos will now have a total of 175 million pounds of sheet capacity to offer its U.S. customers.

For more information, contact William C. Faulhaber at 901-331-2312 or Kim Kimbrough at 901-259-4321.