02/03/2005 - Süd-Chemie acquires technology for the manufacture of exhaust catalysts from Wacker

Munich, 3 February 2005 - With effect from 2 February, Süd-Chemie AG has acquired technology for the manufacture of diesel-exhaust catalysts from Wacker-Chemie GmbH. The two Munich-based corporations announced the news today. The divestment includes all the technical expertise, the coating systems and the associated testing facilities. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction.

By divesting these development activities, WACKER has taken a further strategic step to focus on its core competencies in chemistry. WACKER’s CEO Dr. Peter-Alexander Wacker emphasized: “We've developed catalytic converters that clean diesel exhaust gases very efficiently and are mechanically very robust. However, diesel exhaust-gas treatment does not belong to our core business portfolio and is an area that we no longer wish to pursue following our strategic realignment. So, we’ve decided to transfer the results of this successful development to a partner who can fully exploit the promising potentials of this technology for its own core business.”

Süd-Chemie will use the technology to enhance its activities in diesel engine exhaust-gas cleaning. It will cooperate with vehicle manufacturers to develop marketable products. Over the next few years, stricter exhaust-gas standards will come into force, which means strong volume growth for diesel catalytic converters in both trucks and cars. “The German Government’s announcement that it wants to promote vehicles with low exhaust-gas and carbon-particle emissions will accelerate the market launch of the technologies transferred. Süd-Chemie intends to play a major role in this growth market”, emphasized Dr. Günter von Au, Chairman of the Managing Board of Süd-Chemie.

The diesel catalytic converter system combines “selective catalytic reduction” (SCR) with novel metal honeycomb substrates. New coating technologies had to be developed to coat these metal substrates homogeneously – an essential requirement if they are to work properly. This technology allows for automated production to realize large scale manufacturing of diesel catalytic converters. The catalyst systems were tested and enhanced in cooperation with automotive suppliers, OEMs and institutes.

About Süd-Chemie
Süd-Chemie is an independent group in the field of speciality chemistry. Its core interests, which include energy, the environment and sparing use of resources, are promoted by the two divisions of Catalysts and Adsorbents. With some 5,000 employees active in more than sixty production and sales companies worldwide, sales of €763 million were generated in 2003.

About WACKER
WACKER (www.wacker.com) is a globally active chemical company headquartered in Munich. Its portfolio focuses principally on semiconductor technology, silicone chemistry, specialty chemicals, fine chemicals and polycrystalline hyperpure silicon. In 2003, the WACKER Group recorded sales of EUR 2.5 billion, 80 percent of which were achieved outside Germany. WACKER employs about 15,000 persons at 23 production sites in Europe, America and Asia and in 100 sales offices worldwide. WACKER is owned by the Dr. Alexander Wacker Familiengesellschaft mbH with a 51 % share, and Aventis S.A., Strasbourg, France, with a 49 % holding.

For further information, please contact:

Süd-Chemie AG
Corporate Public Relations
Tel. +49-(0)89-5110-250
Fax +49-(0)89-5110-302

Wacker-Chemie GmbH
Media Relations and Information
Christof Bachmair
Tel. +49 89 6279-1830
Fax +49-89-6279-1239
christof.bachmair@wacker.com