FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Spring House, PA - May 29, 2001. At its conference dedicated to documenting the most recent developments in metallocene and single-site polymer catalysts entitled MetCon2001, The Catalyst Group (TCG) announced the initiation of its groundbreaking multi-client study, Combinatorial Approaches to Polymer Catalyst Discovery and Optimization: Technologies, Providers and Resin Producer Strategies.

What began as an important "enabling" innovation in the pharmaceutical industry - combinatorial chemistry - has become a high-profile area for developing novel materials and catalysts. The movement toward high-throughput screening (HTS) methods, in order to improve laboratory productivity and yield an increasing number of catalyst leads, has reached the polymerization catalysis industry. Among the principal goals of evaluating and employing combinatorial approaches is gaining competitive advantage via more efficient processes and/or differentiated and patentable product offerings.

More important than the technology itself, however, are the numerous ways in which it is being evaluated and then implemented. For companies which have had the opportunity to assess combinatorial and HTS approaches, some have decided to license from providers like Symyx, which offer a comprehensive solution. Companies like Dow, ExxonMobil and others have followed this route. Others have taken an alternate path, opting to form a strategic alliance in order to expedite the process, spread the costs and broaden the potential benefits. The recent agreement between BP and DSM - to develop new equipment and methodologies for polyolefin catalysts - is exemplary. It should be clear that the decisions made by leaders have significant implications on the "next generation" of offerings and the alternatives for those yet to make a decision. Adding to the uncertainty, there are broad corporate interests at stake and the implications of the strategy could hardly be more profound!

Among the notable recent developments: business models have become more sophisticated as large polymer producers seek services that allow them access to the latest technology and tools, but do not limit them in the key intellectual property (IP) they wish to retain. A delineation of the "pros and cons" of the current business models is presented below:

As technologies are proven and new ones emerge, companies wishing to derive value from combinatorial methods by infusing them in their research programs will be faced with crucial decisions. Combinatorial Approaches to Polymer Catalyst Discovery and Optimization will provide a basis for these decisions with regard to technology, providers, and internal research direction.

Of particular importance in the polymerization catalysis field is heterogeneous catalysis for application of combinatorial/HTS developments in the slurry and gas phase production processes. Although alternatives in this area have been limited until quite recently, there is an expanding list of possibilities, as depicted below:

In its groundbreaking study, "Combinatorial Approaches to Polymer Catalyst Discovery and Optimization," The Catalyst Group will set out to first establish the landscape of the combinatorial polymerization catalysis industry, by identifying the groups of participants and the interrelationships between members of these groups. Next, it will provide an analysis of the current high-throughput-based technologies for polymer catalyst discovery and optimization, along with an analysis of the collection of patents and the intellectual property environment in the industry. Lastly, the study will provide in-depth portraits of the organizations that are (and will be) the most influential in determining the evolution of this technology.

The Catalyst Group is recognized as a leading international technical and business consulting organization providing ongoing services to companies involved in every aspect of the catalyst and process industries. For more information, contact John J. Murphy, The Catalyst Group: 215-628-4447 (ext.1121); fax: 215-628-2267; or e-mail: jjm@catalystgrp.com.

The Catalyst Group's assessment will be based on information obtained from the public domain as well as internal sources and industry interviews. TCG's analysis will report factual information, as well as hypotheses/ interpretations based on this information, in order to derive a reasonable set of expectations. Factors could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements and The Catalyst Group undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.