30 July 2001
Union Minière moves to full ownership of Vertex, a start-up optical materials company

After having taken an initial stake of 40 % in the French company Vertex in 1998 -a spin-off of the Université of Rennes- Union Minière now acquired the remaining 60 %. In aggregate, full ownership of Vertex and the investment in both the final technology development of chalcogenide glass and the future investments in the new plant -in Acigne near Rennes (Bretagne, France)- for industrial scale production of their infrared glass will represent an amount of some EUR 3 million. UM is henceforth committed to bringing in both the financial and human resources required to unleash the full potential of Vertex.

The Vertex technology will make available lower cost precision optical lenses for infra-red systems. This low cost approach will facilitate introduction of a wide variety of new infra-red system applications, typical examples being automotive night vision, commercial security and surveillance products etc. The Vertex product range will mainly compete in the market of the non-cooled infra-red systems, a market which, according to a recent study, is projected to increase five-fold over the next five years to reach a value of USD 1.7 billion in 2005.

In the future Vertex will work in increasingly close collaborations with UM Electro-Optic Materials and will be able to take full advantage of existing commercial and industrial synergies. Um Electro-Optic Materials, who is a world leader in germanium-based materials and products with applications in infra-red systems, solar cell substrates, laser optics, coatings and optical fibres, is also the major supplier of the germanium and selenium raw materials used by Vertex. With the acquisition of Vertex, Um Electro-Optic Materials takes a decisive step towards broadening the application range of its infra-red products.

Investor Relations: Mrs Isabelle MICHOTTE - Tel. +32 2 227 71 47 - isabelle.michotte@umicore.com

PROFILE

Union Minière (UM) is an international metals and materials group, which strives to obtain leadership positions in selected markets. Its activities are centred on 3 business groups: Advanced Materials, Copper & Precious Metals and Zinc. To ensure a rapid response to the market, each business group is divided into several business units and business lines.

The UM Group has industrial operations on all continents and serves a global customer base through an international sales network with offices in more than 25 countries.

The underlying principles of UM's strategy across the various business groups are a commitment to technological innovation, operational excellence, recycling and environmental responsibility.

The Group generated a turnover of EUR 3.8 billion in 2000. UM currently employs some 8,000 people.