DAK Americas announces plant expansion at Cooper River site

Charlotte, N.C., May 15, 2002 — DAK Americas announced today that it plans to expand its Cooper River, Charleston, S.C., manufacturing site with the construction of a PET resin unit, doubling the company’s total resin production capacity to 660 million pounds. Construction of the Laser + ™ resins plant will start immediately, creating approximately 35-40 permanent jobs in Berkeley County and over $5 million combined tax revenues to the federal, state and local economy. The new plant is expected to be operational by April, 2003.

“DAK Americas is committed to the growing PET market and the Americas TPA value chain,” said Hector Camberos, President, DAK Americas. “By building this resin facility and expanding our production capacity, we will be able to quickly and effectively meet customer demand in 2003 and beyond. We will also continue our support of Berkeley County and the Charleston Area by adding new jobs and revenue to the local economy.”

“DAK’s announcement today shows confidence in South Carolina’s economy and
our can-do workforce. The close proximity to customers and easy access by rail, highway and port all add up to the many reasons DAK will realize success faster here than anywhere else,” said South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges.

“As the second largest provider of TPA in the world, DAK understands that moving its product efficiently is the key to unlocking new opportunities. By selecting Berkeley County, DAK sends a message to other international companies that South Carolina has everything they need to prosper,” said Secretary of Commerce Charles S.Way, Jr.

“As a growing resins supplier, DAK Americas’ choice to site a new manufacturing facility here makes a solid statement about what the Charleston region has to offer,” said George Tupper, chairman of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance. “Innovative manufacturers like DAK will play a key role in our region’s continued economic success.”

“We are excited about the top quality jobs and investment DAK Americas brings to Berkeley County,” said Jim Rozier, Berkeley County supervisor and county council chairman. “We’re proud to know that, once again, an international company recognizes our county’s strong business climate and exceptional, highly skilled workforce.”

In addition to the Cooper River site, DAK Americas has the world’s largest fully-operational single stream PET facility located at the Cedar Creek Site in Fayetteville, N.C. The expansion will utilize the same proven technology with improved flexibility for manufacturing multiple specialty products. With its parent Alpek, the company is the second largest TPA manufacturer in the world. This ingredient position allows DAK Americas to ensure supply, quality and consistency of its raw materials.

With the additional 330 million pound capacity in Charleston, DAK Americas is well positioned to keep pace with the burgeoning PET market, which is growing by over 10 percent each year.

DAK Americas offers a wide range of innovative resin products for use in carbonated soft drink containers, custom containers, thermoforming, crystallized PET (CPET) and heat set containers. Its Laser+™ PET copolymer is widely respected among industry converters for its quality, clarity and fast processability.

DAK Americas, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is a business unit of Alpek, the petrochemicals and synthetic fibers business group of Alfa, one of Mexico’s largest private corporations with 33,800 employees and revenues of $4.6 billion (US). Alfa has alliances with more than 20 leading companies from the United States, Japan, Europe, South America and Mexico.