Foster Announces Strategic Expansion of West Coast Operations

Putnam, CT (November 2004) - Foster Corporation announces a 50% expansion of its Las Vegas, Nevada operation and the hiring of 3 key executives to support the growing global demand for biomedical material solutions. Following the construction of a new headquarters in Putnam, CT earlier this year, Foster's strategic investments in their west coast facility will support overall demand for biomedical solutions and enhance services to customers in the western United States.

Foster's expansion consists of three main initiatives: facilities, equipment and personnel. The facilities expansion includes a 50% increase in the size of the Las Vegas operation to 18,500 square feet. A new warehouse and logistics center will be constructed within the space to allow
for expansion of manufacturing operations.

The new logistics center will also support the Foster's distribution of Pebax® block copolyamides, and Rilsan® 11 and 12 polyamides to the medical market under an exclusive agreement with Arkema Inc. (formerly Atofina).The expanding manufacturing area will include a newly acquired Coperion 30mm twin screw extruder with integrated Yokagawa automated data acquisition system to manage production of biomaterial compounding and support Foster's GMP and ISO 9001:2000 standards of excellence. Similar systems are standard throughout FosterÆs east and west coast operations.

This acquisition will result in four full service production lines capable of compounding the most advanced thermoplastic and fluoropolymer materials. To manage the dynamic growth, Foster has hired three key executives, including a General Manager for Foster West, a corporate Quality Manager and a Director of Engineering. These individuals bring over 60 years of experience in advanced material solutions to the Foster team. Additional personnel have also been added to support the growing Foster organization, including manufacturing engineering manager, polymer process engineer, quality control technician and marketing specialist.

Fred Silberkraus, General Manager of Foster West, joined the company with over 30 years of experience in polymer compounding. Fred previously held vice president and general management positions with Chromatech Corporation and RPC Industries.Phillip LaCroix recently joined Foster as Quality Manager of both the Connecticut and Nevada locations. Phillip is a 6 Sigma Black Belt and ASQ Certified Quality Auditor who previously held senior quality positions with NextGen Fiber Optics and Schott Fiber Optics.

Anthony Listro joined Foster as Director of Engineering and Product Development for Foster's east and west coast operations in support of customers worldwide. Anthony joins Foster following senior engineering management positions with Judd Wire and Quantum Chemical Corporation, and holds graduate degrees in plastics engineering and business.

"The biomedical market is growing rapidly and the demand for materials is at the forefront in the development of precision medical devices and drug delivery systems," says Ken Pickering, Foster's Chief Operations Officer. "Our new Connecticut facility and expanded Nevada location allow us to continue our proactive support of customer requirements for quality products, engineering support and specialized logistics. We are also extremely pleased to have the highest quality talent from the materials industry join our team and support our customers."

Foster is a full-service material solutions company serving medical device, pharmaceutical delivery, and biotechnology companies with extremely precise polymer technologies. Solutions include a comprehensive range of biomedical materials, material development support, and
supply chain management.

For more information, please call 860-928-4102