Solon, Ohio-Based Company Chooses U.S. Manufacturer over Chinese Firms; Stopol, Inc., MAAC Machinery Partner to Produce Router Nearly Four Times Faster Than Industry Standard

SOLON, Ohio--Nov. 1, 20050, 2005--Stopol, Inc. and MAAC Machinery have joined forces to develop and manufacture the Royce Router, a new brand of routers that are nearly four times faster than the industry standard.

Headquartered in Solon, Ohio, Stopol selected Carol Stream, Ill.-based MAAC to help it design and build the top-of-the-line router, despite overtures from Chinese manufacturers.

"When Stopol first conceived the idea of designing and manufacturing this router, we fielded a number of offers from Chinese companies," said Don Kruschke, Stopol Executive Vice President. "But when we explored all our options, the decision to partner with MAAC was a relatively easy one. No other company came close to matching MAAC's engineering and manufacturing experience.

"Plus, it enabled us to keep jobs here in the United States," he added. "Sure, we probably could have generated greater margins by using a Chinese firm, but the overall quality of the product would have suffered. It was just the right thing to do."

The Royce Router venture is expected to create at least 12 jobs and generate nearly $5 million in annual revenues for the two companies.

Stopol is a leader in arranging the acquisition and sale of production equipment and machinery, businesses, divisions, product lines and manufacturing licenses in the plastics industry. MAAC is one of the top thermoforming machinery manufacturers in the United States, providing a wide array of thermoforming machines, tooling and processing services.

After the decision was made to create their partnership, Stopol and MAAC assembled an engineering team consisting of MAAC personnel and industry-leading talent contracted by Stopol. The venture reaped additional benefits from the industry expertise both firms brought to the table. The two companies leveraged Stopol's role and reputation as a trusted equipment dealer and MAAC's position as one of the United States' top thermoforming manufacturers.

"The idea of MAAC and Stopol joining forces to create the Royce Router was a no-brainer for both sides," said Paul V. Alongi, MAAC CEO and founder. "We're both leaders in our respective marketplaces, and the real winners are the customers. Stopol receives their used routers and the customers get a new, state-of-the-art replacement. It's one-stop shopping at its finest."

Marketed toward the plastics thermoforming industry, the Royce Router is the first one-piece, "plug and play" machine of its kind. Its innovative design, engineering and components combine to produce cycle times vastly superior to its nearest competitor. Extensive beta testing of the new router showed that it significantly reduced cycle times from 3 minutes and 57 seconds to 1 minute and 3 seconds. "The Royce Router integrates the latest technologies with the most advanced engineering - that's why it's the fastest production machine made in America," Alongi said. "Where our clients may have needed three or even four routers in the past, they may only need one or two now."

About Stopol, Inc.

Headquartered in Solon, Ohio, Stopol is a privately held corporation specializing in arranging the acquisition and sale of production equipment and machinery, businesses, divisions, product lines and manufacturing licenses in the plastics industry. Well known for its live auctions, Stopol in 2004 launched www.stopolauctions.com, an interactive, online marketplace that allows members to buy and sell new and used plastics equipment and other assets. In early 2005, Stopol began conducting webcasts of its live auctions on the Web site. These webcasts offer a unique, interactive function -- two-way, real-time audio communication that enables bidders to not only hear the auctioneer but speak directly to him. In addition to its auction expertise, Stopol uses its unparalleled market insight and extensive network of contacts to connect buyers and sellers in the plastics industry and provide them with merger and acquisition management and expertise.

About MAAC Machinery

Headquartered in Carol Stream, Ill., MAAC Machinery provides an extensive array of thermoforming machinery, tooling, and processing services. Founded by Paul V. Alongi in 1982, MAAC is the fastest growing U.S. manufacturer of sheet fed thermoforming machinery. Integrating a world-class application engineering staff with a new state-of-the art manufacturing plant, MAAC provides an array of thermoforming services, including plant assessments, machinery replacement programs, modifications (rebuilds, retrofits and upgrades), training, parts programming and numerous other services. Comprised of thermoformers, engineers, programmers and technicians, MAAC's team of highly trained, dedicated employees are available to deliver the solutions you need to keep your operations up and running as quickly and efficiently as possible.