Rohm and Haas Vice President Alan Barton Speaks At Credit Suisse First Boston Chemical Conference

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 17 -- Alan E. Barton, Rohm and Haas Company Vice President and Business Director of Coatings, today spoke with analysts at the Credit Suisse First Boston Chemical Conference in New York and said the need for advanced technology remains a key driver for the global coatings industry. Rohm and Haas Company's global Coatings business has sales of approximately $1.9 billion in 2002.

Barton reviewed the three business units contained within the Coatings business and discussed key market trends and drivers for each. The Architectural and Functional Coatings business, which provides a wide variety of intermediates to the coatings industry, is the largest unit with sales in 2002 of approximately $1.5 billion. "We have seen increased demand for higher quality, all-acrylic paints," Barton said. "New product offerings, such as our newest Ropaque opaque polymer and formaldehyde-free insulation binder, continue to be extremely well received."

The Automotive Coatings business, which had approximately $100 million in sales in 2002, has created new products to support the increasing use of plastics in both exterior and interior applications along with new design trends, such as metallic look coatings, durable matte finishes and textured coatings, noted Barton.

Barton also said that the acquisition in late 2002 of the Ferro Corporation's European powder coatings business has been a perfect fit with the Rohm and Haas Powder Coatings business, providing well-located manufacturing facilities, new technology and a terrific workforce. "We see tremendous potential to continue to grow in this market." Annual sales of the Powder Coatings business, including sales from the Ferro acquisition, are approximately $300 million.

"The coatings industry is an attractive sector," said Barton. "Growth rates in key niches are running higher than GDP in some regions, technology enables new and higher valued products to be introduced into the marketplace, and the sector is very consumer focused. Rohm and Haas Company has decades of leadership position in coatings as a result of our continued innovation in new products, our global reach, strong customer and technical service, and an efficient manufacturing network."

Barton noted that the company's Architectural and Functional Coatings business saw some recovery in the exterior paint markets from the poor painting season this past spring. He did not provide an update to the company's earnings outlook for the quarter, noting that the company will issue its Third Quarter update before the end of September.

This release includes forward-looking statements. Actual results could vary materially, due to changes in current expectations. The forward-looking statements contained in this announcement concerning demand for products and services, sales and earnings growth, and actions that may be taken to improve financial performance, involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including the impact of raw materials and natural gas, as well as other energy sources, and the ability to achieve price increases to offset such cost increases, development of operational efficiencies, changes in foreign currencies, changes in interest rates, the continued timely development and acceptance of new products and services, the impact of competitive products and pricing, and the impact of tax and other legislation and regulation in the jurisdictions in which the company operates. Further information about these risks can be found in the company's SEC 10-K filing of March 17, 2003.

Rohm and Haas is a Philadelphia-based specialty materials company which makes products for the personal care, grocery, home and construction markets, and the electronics industry. The company has annual sales of approximately $5.7 billion and operations in more than 25 countries. Additional information about Rohm and Haas can be found at www.rohmhaas.com.

A copy of today's presentation can be found in the Investors section of the Rohm and Haas website, (www.rohmhaas.com).

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