Sapa has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the largest aluminium extruder on the West Coast of America, Anodizing Inc. of Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1964, Anodizing Inc. focuses on aluminium profiles and finishing which is complimented by an expertise in fabrication and other product based processes. The company had sales of $132m (MSEK 1200) in 1999 and employs 930 people. Deliveries last year exceeded 32,000 tonnes. The company has five extrusions presses, two anodising plants, vertical and horizontal paint lines, a miniature extrusion facility, in addition to its five fabrication and assembly plants. In all 500,000 sq ft of facilities within a 7 mile radius of the centre of Portland.

"We have stated that Sapa has a clear ambition to expand within high value- added aluminium profiles. This acquisition gives Sapa a solid presence in a market where we have not been active before. Anodizing is a well-run company and has shown strong growth in sales and margins over a long number of years. They focus on high value-added products for selected markets and customers. By entering into the US through Anodizing Inc., we get a strong foothold for further expansion," says Staffan Bohman, CEO of Sapa. "Sapa's profiles operations have grown at a very high pace during the last 2 years. By end of 1998 we had a production of about 140,000 tonnes of aluminium profiles. Since then we have taken major steps by acquiring the largest independent extruder in France, made new investments in existing plants,started the investment of a new large press in France and recently bought the market leader in Portugal. To this we can now add the acquisition in the US. Together this will give us an annual output of around 280,000 tonnes, i.e a doubling of the capacity in 2-3 years. All these activities are in line with our ambition to be the world's leading independent extruder," adds Staffan Bohman. The acquisition of Anodizing Inc. is subject to necessary approvals. It is anticipated that the deal will close on the 1st September 2000.

For further information please contact Staffan Bohman, CEO Sapa, tel +46 8 459 5910, Claes-R. Simonson, EVP Sapa, or Cecilia Lager, Investor Relations & Communication, tel +46 8 459 5941.

Sapa is an international industrial group focused on high value-added products based on the lightweight materials aluminium and plastics. The products range from profiles and heat-transfer strip in aluminium to components and systems in plastics for the automotive industry. Sapa is one of Europe's leading companies within its field and the customers are found in the transport-, building, engineering- and telecom industries. Sapa is registered on the A-list of the OM Stockholm Exchange.