Solvay Advanced Polymers Names Link Upon Advanced Material Corp. as Far East Ultra Polymers Distributor


Agreement Covers KetaSpire® PEEK and AvaSpire® PAEK Resins in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China

ALPHARETTA, Ga., March 30, 2011 - Solvay Advanced Polymers, LLC, has named Link Upon Advanced Material Corp., Taipei, Taiwan, as an authorized distributor for KetaSpire® polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and AvaSpire® polyaryletherketone (PAEK) resins in the Far East. Effective April 1, Link Upon will handle distribution of these ultra-performance polymers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China.

Link Upon is a leading supplier of high-performance engineering thermoplastics and has a broad range of processing expertise in injection molding, extrusion, machining, assembly, product design, and mold design. The distribution agreement further expands Solvay's existing business relationship as a direct supplier to Link Upon of KetaSpire® PEEK and AvaSpire® PAEK resins for demanding applications.

"We're very excited to announce this extension of our partnership with Link Upon, a company with strong technical depth and great market awareness in industries with extreme performance requirements," said Chris Wilson, vice president, ultra polymers business, Solvay Advanced Polymers. "Our partnership with Link Upon is a very important part of our strategy in the Far East since it provides a key channel to reach the diverse markets in this fast-growing region."

"We're thrilled about our expanded relationship with Solvay which is recognized as a reliable, high-quality supplier of high-performance polymers in the region," said Ah Hing Lin, president and CEO, Link Upon Advanced Material Corp. "This new distribution arrangement expands the breadth of our portfolio options for customers and opens up new market opportunities." Lin sees strong growth for KetaSpire and AvaSpire resins in markets such as semiconductors, compressors, medical, and equipment for automated manufacturing.

KetaSpire PEEK is one of the industry's most chemically resistant plastics and also offers excellent strength, superior fatigue resistance, and a continuous-use temperature of 240°C (464°F). AvaSpire PAEK is a versatile family of polyaryletherketones that are tailored to provide new and unique combinations of performance and value. The AV-600 Series delivers a range of distinctive performance attributes with some grades offering more attractive economics when compared to PEEK. The AV-700 Series offers comparable performance to PEEK at up to a 30% lower cost.

About Link Upon Advanced Material Corp.
Link Upon Advanced Material Corp., based in Taipei, Taiwan, is a leading supplier of high-performance engineering thermoplastic products. The company has a broad range of expertise including injection molding, extrusion, assembly, product design, and mold design. The company serves a broad range of industries including electronics, optoelectronics, semiconductor, automotive, and textiles.

Link Upon sets up supply chain systems throughout mainland China and provides technical service and support. The company focuses on applications that require high temperature resistance, wear resistance, radiation resistance, corrosion resistance, flame resistance, self-lubrication, anti-static, and insulating (dielectric) properties. For more information, visit www.linkupon.com.

About Solvay Advanced Polymers
Solvay Advanced Polymers, LLC produces more plastics with more performance than any other company in the world. This gives design engineers worldwide more ways to solve top design challenges in automotive, medical, electronics, aerospace and other demanding industries. Learn more at www.solvayadvancedpolymers.com.

Solvay is an international industrial Group active in Chemistry. It offers a broad range of products and solutions that contribute to improving quality of life. The Group is headquartered in Brussels and its companies employ 17,000 people in over 40 countries. In 2010, its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 7.1 billion. Solvay is listed on the NYSE Euronext stock exchange in Brussels (NYSE Euronext: SOLB.BE - Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLBt.BR). Details are available at www.solvay.com.

Press Contact:
Joseph Grande
413.684.2463
solvayap.press@solvay.com

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