Degussa Increases Prices for Pigment Blacks and Pigment Black Preparations effective January 1st, 2005

Business Unit Advanced Fillers & Pigments will increase its prices for Pigment Blacks on average by 6% and for Pigment Black Preparations by 3% effective January 1st, 2005. Costs for raw materials, energy, labour and transportation have kept increasing and reached now an extent which Degussa is no longer in a position to absorb, despite intensive cost management efforts and better efficiencies in production.

Business Unit Advanced Fillers & Pigments operates 30 plants in 18 countries and is the only supply source manufacturing carbon black (rubber and pigment black), performance silica and rubber silanes. As a specialist in surface chemistry and physics it focuses on the production and application of carbon black, performance silica, matting agents and rubber silanes.

Degussa is a multinational corporation consistently aligned to highly profitable specialty chemistry. In fiscal 2003, its 47,000 employees generated sales of € 11.4 billion and operating profits (EBIT) of € 878 million, making it Germany's third-largest chemical company and the global market leader in specialty chemicals. Innovative products and system solutions enable Degussa to play a valuable and indispensable role in the success of its customers, as summed up by our claim "creating essentials".

Source: Degussa