New Solutia Resin Investment Supports Growing Demand in Asia Pacific PVB Sheet Market

Solutia Inc. (NYSE: SOA) the world's leading producer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayers for laminated glass, sold under the Saflex® brand, announced today it has chosen its Kuantan, Malaysia facility for the addition of a PVB resin plant. The location was approved after an extensive feasibility study of the region, which recognized the site's efficient operations, high-quality workforce and ability to serve the broader region's rapidly growing markets. Kuantan is also home to the company's Crystex® insoluble sulfur manufacturing facility, the largest of its kind in the world.

The Kuantan resin investment will be designed to leverage Solutia's experience and innovation in PVB resin technology with scalability in mind, to respond to future market demand across emerging Asia Pacific markets. "The increased capacity realized from the addition of a PVB resin plant in Malaysia will be used to cost-effectively meet the increasing demand for Saflex sheet produced by our two manufacturing lines in Suzhou, China," said Eric Nichols, president and general manager of Solutia's Advanced Interlayers division. "In addition, our advances in resin technology have resulted in scalable, less capital-intensive plants that fully leverage our 80-year history of developing PVB technologies."

The Kuantan resin plant is the third in a series of investments in the region intended to meet the demand of the burgeoning laminated glass market across Asia Pacific. In 2007, Solutia opened the Suzhou, China plant, the fifth manufacturing site for the company's world-leading Saflex PVB interlayers. In 2010, Solutia announced the addition of a second PVB manufacturing line within the existing footprint of the Suzhou plant, featuring enhanced capabilities to serve the architectural, photovoltaic and automotive markets in China and the broader Asia Pacific region. The Suzhou site is also home to a new Saflex customer service testing lab, dedicated to supporting laminated glass customers in the region.

Solutia manufactures Saflex® PVB interlayers at sites located in Gent, Belgium; Santo Toribio, Mexico; San Jose Dos Campos,Brazil; Springfield, Mass., USA; and Suzhou, China.

Solutia's Saflex® product is the most trusted name in PVB interlayer technology for laminated glazing, delivering outstanding performance and durability, backed by reliable and knowledgeable service. As a result, it is found in nearly 40 percent of laminated architectural and automotive glass worldwide. Saflex interlayers are also used to encapsulate thin film photovoltaic solar cells, providing outstanding processability and durability.