Ferro’s Engineered Polymer Products Business Issues Price Increases
CLEVELAND--Ferro Corporation’s Engineered Polymer Products business has announced it is increasing the price in North America for all filled and reinforced plastic compounds. Price increases range from $0.035 to $0.06 per pound depending on the resin content of the product supplied. The increases are effective with shipments made as of November 15, 2007.
Engineered Polymer Products also announced price increases in North America for color concentrates. White & Additive concentrates will increase $0.05 per pound and Specialty Color & Black concentrates will increase $0.08 per pound, effective with shipments made as of November 1, 2007.
Jim Kolenc, Business Director, Engineered Polymer Products, noted that price increases are necessary due to rising raw material and energy costs. “We have worked diligently in our Filled & Reinforced Plastics and Color Concentrates groups, as well as our Advanced Polymer Alloy group, to control our internal operating and conversion costs in order to ensure favorable pricing for Ferro customers,” said Kolenc. “This pricing action supports our ability to continue providing high-value products and services to our customers while remaining competitive.”
About Ferro Corporation
Ferro Corporation (www.ferro.com) is a leading global supplier of technology-based performance materials for manufacturers. Ferro materials enhance the performance of products in a variety of end markets, including electronics, solar energy, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, building and renovation, appliances, automotive, household furnishings, and industrial products. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the Company has approximately 6,700 employees globally and reported sales of $2.0 billion in 2006.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this Ferro press release may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Federal securities laws. These statements are subject to a variety of uncertainties, unknown risks and other factors concerning the Company’s operations and business environment, which are difficult to predict and often beyond the control of the Company. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by these forward-looking statements, and that could adversely affect the Company’s future financial performance, include, but are not limited to the following:
- the availability and cost of raw materials and other supplies;
- intense competition in the markets the Company serves;
- successful execution of projects designed to improve operating margins;
- successful execution of restructuring programs to improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce costs;
- the unpredictability and cyclicality of demand in the Company’s markets;
- exposure to currency conversion and changing global economic, social and political conditions;
- the Company’s ability to compete lawfully with local competitors in the Asia/Pacific region;
- aggressive global regulation of hazardous materials could affect sales of our products;
- costs of compliance with stringent environmental, health and safety regulations;
- access to capital markets or borrowings;
- variable interest rates on some of our external borrowings could increase;
- encumbrances on the Company’s assets granted to lenders affect our flexibility to dispose of assets;
- restrictive covenants in our credit facilities could affect our flexibility in funding strategic initiatives;
- the Company’s ability to utilize significant deferred tax assets;
- the outcome of any legal claims against the Company;
- the Company’s ability to continuously introduce new products to respond to demand;
- the uncertainty of future employee benefit costs and the impact of funding of those costs; and
- risks associated with acts of God, terrorists, and others, as well as fires, explosions, wars, riots, accidents, embargoes, natural disasters, strikes and other work stoppages, quarantines and other governmental actions, and other events or circumstances that are beyond the Company’s reasonable control.
Additional information regarding these risk factors can be found in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2006. This release contains time-sensitive information that reflects management’s best analysis only as of the date of this release. The Company 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.