Rockwood Press Release

Rockwood Specialties Announces New Structure and Focus for its Wafer Reclaim Business

PRINCETON, NJ, USA (June 9, 2003) — Rockwood Specialties Inc., a global producer of custom-made chemicals and performance materials, recently announced a new structure and focus to further strengthen its position as a leading supplier of reclaimed wafers to the electronics industry.

The new plan builds on Rockwood’s current strength and fully utilizes the enhanced capability created as a result of the $17 million expansion project implemented since 2002.

Rockwood Specialties has repositioned some personnel to execute the strategy successfully and timely, and to take advantage of the parent company’s resources. Mr. Seifi Ghasemi, Chairman and CEO of Rockwood Specialties Inc., will assume direct control of all Rockwood Reclaim and Exsil businesses. Reporting to him will be the experienced management team of:

Marilyn Bollengier, Vice President, Business Development and North American Sales(15 years of experience in the wafer reclaim business)

John Anderton, Global Director of Sales with Special Focus on Europe (19 years of experience in the wafer reclaim business)

Jerry Winters, Vice President, Worldwide Operations (23 years of experience in the wafer reclaim business).

John Casabonne, Director of Quality/SH&E (11 years of experience in the electronics industry and the last 4 years in the wafer reclaim business)

In addition, financial management responsibilities will be under the direct supervision of Robert J. Zatta, Rockwood Specialties-Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Rockwood currently has a leading position in wafer reclaim in Europe and North America through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Exsil, Inc. in the United States and Rockwood Electronic Materials – Wafer Reclaim in the United Kingdom and France. Rockwood will continue to offer their valued customers a solid and experienced team of committed employees, backed by state of the art facilities.

Rockwood, headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, USA, is a leading global specialty chemical company with sales of more than $800 million. The company focuses on niche segments of the specialty chemical market, including additives, specialty compounds, electronic chemicals, materials and services. Rockwood Specialties maintains operations in North America, Europe and Asia with a workforce of over 2,500 employees.