A. Schulman Announces Staff Reduction At Bellevue, Ohio, Manufacturing Facility

Reductions are a result of cost efficiency evaluation under the Company's new North American profit improvement program

AKRON, Ohio, March 4 -- A. Schulman Inc. today announced a reduction in staff at its Bellevue, Ohio, manufacturing facility.

A. Schulman said 11 administrative staff and support positions - representing approximately 18 percent of the facility's 63 staff employees - have been eliminated. The Company is providing displaced workers with separation packages and access to outplacement services. The 160,000-square- foot facility had a total employment of 172 people, including production workers, who are not affected by this announcement. The plant manufactures plastic compounds primarily for the automotive market.

The reductions are an early outcome of A. Schulman's recently announced program to improve its cost efficiency and profitability in North America, with a particular focus on the Company's U.S. operations. The primary goal of the 26-week program is to generate annual operating savings of $6 to $7 million starting with the Company's 2004 fiscal year, which begins September 1, 2003.

A. Schulman said the staff reduction will have a positive effect on the facility's cost efficiency and competitiveness. The North American operations of A. Schulman are being affected by higher resin prices, continuing competitive pressure and weak demand for value-added engineered products. However, the Company's European operations continue to benefit from increasing demand for the Company's film and packaging products, and the higher value of the Euro. On balance, the Company's overall financial performance has continued to improve in recent quarters despite the difficult and extremely competitive business environment in the U.S.

About A. Schulman Inc.

Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, A. Schulman is a leading international supplier of high-performance plastic compounds and resins. These materials are used in a variety of consumer, industrial, automotive and packaging applications. The Company employs about 2,400 people and has 13 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, Mexico and the Asia-Pacific region. Revenues for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2002 were approximately $967 million. Additional information about A. Schulman can be found on the World Wide Web at www.aschulman.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this release which are not historical facts are forward- looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties and actual events or results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in this release. These "forward-looking statements" are based on currently available information. They are also inherently uncertain, and investors must recognize that events could turn out to be significantly different from what was expected. Examples of such uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following:

  * Worldwide and regional economic, business and political conditions
  * Fluctuations in the value of the currencies in major areas where the
    Company operates, i.e., the U.S. dollar, the Euro, U.K. pound sterling,
    Canadian dollar, Mexican peso and Indonesian rupiah
  * Fluctuations in the prices of plastic resins and other raw materials
  * Changes in customer demand and requirements

In addition, this release contains time-sensitive information that reflects management's best analysis only as of the date of this release. A. Schulman does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future events, information or circumstances that arise after the date of this release. Further information concerning issues that could materially affect financial performance related to forward-looking statements can be found in A. Schulman's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.