Alcoa's Fastening Systems Business Creates Two New Manufacturing Facilities in China

PITTSBURGH & SHANGHAI, China--Sept. 19, 2005--Alcoa announced today that its Alcoa Fastening Systems business will create two new 50,000 square-feet manufacturing sites in the Suzhou Industrial Park, 100 km from Shanghai, to support rapidly growing commercial aviation and railway/rail car production and sub-assembly in that market. This announcement follows the opening earlier this year of Alcoa Fastening Systems' full service logistics center in Shanghai.

The new facilities will incorporate the latest in available manufacturing technology plus Alcoa Business System lean methodologies. One plant will be dedicated to the production of select aerospace fastening systems; while the other will produce fasteners for Alcoa's rail car/transportation customers. Selection of the specific products to be produced is being carefully considered and coordinated with the company's major customers around the world.

Production at the railway/rail car fastener facility is slated to begin operation by the end of this year. The aerospace fasteners plant is expected to start production by October 2006. Minimum employment at the two facilities is expected to total 250 people by 2007.

Alcoa Fastening Systems, a business unit of Alcoa, is a leading worldwide designer and manufacturer of fastening systems, specialty fasteners, components, and installation systems for aerospace and commercial product assembly. Headquartered in Torrance, California, the company has 6,000 employees, and manufactures at 26 locations in 7 countries.

Alcoa is the world's leading producer and manager of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities, and is active in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production and other capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers. In addition to aluminum products and components, Alcoa also markets consumer brands including Reynolds Wrap(R) foils and plastic wraps, Alcoa(R) wheels, and Baco(R) household wraps. Among its other businesses are vinyl siding, closures, fastening systems, precision castings, and electrical distribution systems for cars and trucks. The company has 131,000 employees in 43 countries and has been named one of the top three most sustainable corporations in the world at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com

For more information about Alcoa Fastening Systems, visit www.alcoafasteners.com. For information about its complete line of Aerospace Products, please contact Ms. Anne Brown, Manager, Global Marketing Communications, Tel: 1 714 449 4374; Fax: 1 714 278 8726; e-mail: anne.brown@alcoa.com.