AMCOL International Cetco Lining Technology Group Announces Agreement to Acquire Linteco Geotechnische Systeme GmbH

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, ILL., Mar. 1, 2004. AMCOL International Corporation (NYSE: ACO), today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Linteco Geotechnische Systeme GmbH (LGS), a specialized geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) manufacturer headquartered in Linz, Austria. The acquisition will strengthen the Company’s presence in the European lining market and add a highly skilled team of professionals to complement CETCO’s lining technology operations in the U.S., U.K., Poland, Korea and China.
Ryan McKendrick, CETCO president, said, “The acquisition of LGS will bring together two well established companies serving the European lining market today. This combination expands the breadth of our product offerings and provides CETCO with better market penetration in several important market areas. Coupled with the product and technology synergies we can deliver today and in the future, the arrangement will result in benefits to each company’s customers.”
Larry Washow, AMCOL president and chief executive officer, added, “Building on customer relationships is a key component of our strategy for long-term growth. LGS’s European sales and support presence makes it a strong fit for us as we seek to expand distribution of our products into a wider range of market segments throughout Europe.”
LGS is a geosynthetic sales and manufacturing company with headquarters and manufacturing facilities located in Linz, Austria. It has sales offices in Spain and Scandinavia. In addition to supplying and manufacturing GCLs for the European market the company sells complimentary products such as drainage composites, nets, geotextiles and geomembranes. The company was incorporated since 1997. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
CETCO Environmental Offshore Services is a division of CETCO, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AMCOL International Corp. AMCOL produces and markets specialty mineral products used for industrial, environmental and consumer-related applications. The company operates in three industry segments, minerals, environmental and transportation. AMCOL’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “ACO.” The company’s web site is www.amcol.com.