Peguform Bohemia and Exatec Teaming up to Advance Polycarbonate Automotive Glazing

PITTSBURGH, March 11, 2005 -- Peguform Bohemia of the Czech Republic, a leading international polycarbonate (PC) glazing specialist, and Exatec, the polycarbonate glazing joint venture of Bayer MaterialScience and GE Advanced Materials, have announced an agreement to bring advanced Exatec glazing technology to the global automotive market.

Peguform Bohemia will build a new polycarbonate glazing facility based on Exatec's comprehensive glazing system technology. This will make Peguform Bohemia the first company to use Exatec's advanced glazing technology including plasma technology to manufacture clear, lightweight and impact-resistant polycarbonate side and rear car windows as well as panoramic roofs for car manufacturers worldwide.

Exatec's advanced polycarbonate glazing solutions offer car manufacturers clear advantages with respect to design flexibility, functionality and weight, combined with extensive weathering and glass-like abrasion performance. "The market opportunity for PC glazing is huge," said Pavel Neuman, Peguform Bohemia's CEO. "Over the past ten years, Peguform Bohemia has expanded aggressively as a highly specialized automotive supplier with a proven record of successfully adopting new technologies. We see the use of Exatec technology in our new cleverGlass® business as a natural extension of this strategy. It is a strategic target of Peguform Bohemia for the years 2005 to 2010 to increase the turnover by 50 percent," Neuman said. Besides the acquisition of new customers for standard production, this target can be reached by developing new applications. The pre-development department of Peguform Bohemia is currently involved in many programs utilizing PC glazing which, due to its properties, is able to replace glass. This offers great potential for future growth. "The production of the PC glazing systems with Exatec technology in the new cleverGlass business has become one of the most important steps in Peguform Bohemia's growth strategy," he said.

"Polycarbonate is about to become a major alternative to glass in future cars," predicted Exatec CEO Clemens Kaiser. "The introduction of Exatec® 900 glazing technology will open up entirely new construction and design options for automotive manufacturers, which will help to transform the market. With Peguform Bohemia, Exatec has found the forward thinking and technologically advanced partner it needs for such an ambitious and significant development." Kaiser added, "With its automotive expertise, skills and economically competitive location, we are confident that Peguform Bohemia is ideally positioned to help establish polycarbonate as the material of choice in automotive windows."

Exatec's products combine an enhanced 10-year weathering layer with a glass-like plasma topcoat that exhibits superior abrasion properties. In addition, Exatec provides materials and processes for defroster and antenna functionalities. Polycarbonate can be molded into almost any shape, accommodating today's most sophisticated automotive design trends and opening opportunities for future developments.

Peguform Bohemia, headquartered in Liberec, Czech Republic, will begin construction of its glazing facility this year. The new business, named cleverGlass, will be designed specifically to meet polycarbonate glazing demands, utilizing the latest advanced optical molding technology as well as Exatec's high-performance glazing systems. This highly competitive cleverGlass operation will feature a state-of-the-art clean room environment ensuring that automotive manufacturers around the world are supplied with PC glazing which meets the highest quality standards.