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Continued Expansion of Solvay's Automotive Activities

1 October 1998

Continued Expansion of Solvay's Automotive Activities; Creation of 'Solvay Automotive Polska' (Poland)

    TROY, Mich., Oct. 1 --  The Solvay Group is setting up a
wholly-owned subsidiary in order to develop its automotive activities in
Poland.  The new company will be called Solvay Automotive Polska Sp.zo.o
(Limited).
    Solvay Automotive Polska will manufacture and market fuel systems and air
induction systems for local car industry and exports.  Business will start
with the supply in Poland of plastic fuel tanks and filler pipes to Daewoo and
Peugeot, as well as exports to Renault in Slovenia.
    The Solvay Automotive Polska production unit will come on stream in 1999.
    The creation of Solvay Automotive Polska further strengthens the position
of Solvay as the global market leader in the Fuel Storage Delivery and Vapor
Management Systems  --  with operations in Europe, the United States, Mexico,
Brazil, Argentina and Asia.
    The Solvay Group is an international chemical and pharmaceutical group
based in Brussels (Belgium).  Solvay Group companies employ 34,000 people in
46 countries.  The Group's 1997 annual sales amounted to BEF 311 billion (USD
8.4 billion), generated by its market leading activities in each of its four
sectors of activity: chemicals, plastics, processing and pharmaceuticals.