Vol. I, No. 3 – 2006

OWENS CORNING, SAINT-GOBAINANNOUNCE INTENT TO MERGEREINFORCEMENTS BUSINESSESAlso in This Issue:

A Message from Chuck DanaPresident, Composite Solutions Business,Owens CorningPage 2

GRP Pipe: Early Application Still Growing Composite Materials Continue toFight Corrosion in Oil FieldsPage 4

Winning CombinationValue and Innovation DriveComposite Growth in EuropePage 6

Going GreenStewardship GainsMomentum inCompositesPage 8

The use of composite pipe and structures is growingon oil platforms to reduce topside weight and resist corrosion.

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Page 3

A MESSAGE FROM CHUCK DANAPRESIDENT, COMPOSITE SOLUTIONS BUSINESS, OWENS CORNING

So much has happened since the lastedition of this magazine I hardly knowwhere to begin.

Let’s start with the big news of late Julythat Owens Corning and Saint Gobain arein discussions to merge the Owens CorningReinforcements Business and the Saint-Gobain Reinforcements and Composites

Businesses known as Vetrotex.This merger will bring togethertwo pioneers in the reinforcements and composite fabricsindustry, each with long histories of product innovation andcustomer focus.

Like composites themselves, the combined enterprise will bestronger and able to do much more than either business couldalone.There are obvious benefits for the customers of bothbusinesses, such as the expanded global manufacturing, distributionand service presence, and the accelerated pace and synergies weexpect from a combined technology team. Even more excitingfor me is our strengthened ability to work with you to developnew applications that replace aluminum, steel and wood, sotogether we can grow glass reinforcements’ share beyond itscurrent 1percent of the materials market.The bottom line isthat Owens Corning-Vetrotex Reinforcements will participatemore effectively and be a better supplier in today’s increasinglycompetitive marketplace.

The transaction is anticipated to close in early 2007. In themeantime, Owens Corning and Saint-Gobain Vetrotex willcontinue to operate their businesses separately.

In early May, we completed our purchase of the compositesbusiness of Asahi Fiber Glass Co., Ltd. in Japan.The addition ofmanufacturing capacity there allows us to deliver more value toyou and other customers around the world. Also, the productsand technology acquired there will support your business byenabling us to deliver a broader range of composite solutions in several markets.

Also in early May, Owens Corning announced that it has reachedan agreement with its key creditors on a Plan of Reorganizationthat paves the way for the company to exit Chapter 11 in 2006.This important milestone is an exciting accomplishment for ourcompany and employees, and it should enhance your confidencein our financial strength and future.

Before closing, I want you to know that the new high performancereinforcements platform we announced in late February –trademarked HiPer-tex™ – is rapidly becoming well known in the composites industry and several end-use markets.We havehad an unprecedented number of inquiries, which we areresponding to as quickly as we can. Potential customers arequalifying the product and the tests are going well.We are ontrack to have the product available on schedule in the fourthquarter.This new reinforcement platform is a great example ofhow we intend to use technology and innovation to enable newand better applications.The intended result is continued growthfor the composites industry.

As always, we welcome your feedback.

Sincerely,

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OWENS CORNING, SAINT-GOBAINANNOUNCE INTENT TO MERGEREINFORCEMENTS BUSINESSESOwens Corning and Saint-Gobain jointly announced discussionsto merge the Owens Corning Reinforcements Business and the Saint-Gobain Reinforcement and Composites Businesses –known as Vetrotex – into a new company, to be called OwensCorning-Vetrotex Reinforcements.

The partnership of these two businesses would establisha global company in reinforcements and composite fabricswith worldwide revenues of approximately $1.8 billion(euro 1.5 billion) and 10,000 employees.The new companywould have operations across Europe, North and SouthAmerica, and Asia, including the following key emerging markets: China, India, Russia, Mexico and Brazil.

The Saint-Gobain Textile Solutions business, serving mainlyconstruction markets, will remain part of that company’s High Performance Materials Sector.The Owens Corning VeilTechnologies and Fabwel businesses will remain part of theOwens Corning Composite Solutions Business.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Owens Corning, ourcustomers and our employees,” said Dave Brown, Presidentand Chief Executive Officer of Owens Corning. “It demonstratesour commitment to the composites business and our customerson every continent.We plan to combine the best of bothcompanies, grow with our customers and deliver strongoperating results.”

While the companies have not yet reached a definitiveagreement, it is anticipated the transaction would be structuredas a joint venture with Owens Corning owning a 60 percentequity interest and Saint-Gobain owning the remaining40 percent. After a minimum of four years, joint ventureprovisions would give an option to Saint-Gobain to sell its40 percent stake to Owens Corning.

To view the joint news release, click here.

CEREMONIES MARK COMPLETIONOF ACQUISITION IN JAPANIntegration celebrations held in Tokyo and Ibaraki, Japan markedthe completion of the company’s acquisition there.

Announced in December 2005, the deal officially closed onMay 1, 2006. Ceremonies honoring the occasion were held thatday and in the following weeks.The acquisition included thecomposites business of Asahi Fiber Glass Co., Ltd., including afactory in Ibaraki, about one hour from the heart of Tokyo.

The acquisition expands the Owens Corning product portfolioto include:

• Reinforcements for high-performance thermoplastics such as Liquid Crystalline Polymer (LCP), Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS) and Polyphenylene Oxide (PPO) polymer products.

• Long-fiber thermoplastic compounds for Asia Pacific.

• Sheet Molding Compounds for the Japanese market, including high-heat industrial and Class A applications for automotive and consumer markets.

• Rubber-coated glass-fiber solutions used in engine timing belts for the automotive industry.

Key patents, product formulas and innovative technologies werean instrumental part of the acquisition. “This brings greater valueto our customers around the world through enhanced customerrelationships, technical capabilities and innovations,” said GaryNieman,Vice President and Managing Director of CompositesAsia Pacific.

AIKEN MAT LINE DEDICATEDAt the end of May, Owens Corning held a dedication ceremonyin Aiken, S.C., to celebrate the completion and start-up of athird production line there.The $25 million expansion makescoated glass fiber mat to support a customer’s compositesolution that is transforming the building materials industry.

The line produces an innovative Owens Corning glass matfacing for a customer’s paperless interior wallboard product.The product features a glass mat facing that finishes like paper-faced wallboard, resulting in the first completely paperlessinterior wallboard that offers moisture and mold resistanceand finishes easily.

MORE KNITTING CAPACITY IN BRAZIL At JEC Composites 2006 in Paris, Owens Corning announced the addition of a new glass fiber knitting line at its facility northof São Paulo in Brazil.The new line will support customersin Latin America.

The news followed other major Owens Corning announce-ments for the wind energy market including a capital investmentin India to support the country’s growing wind energy demand.

HAQUE NAMED SPE FELLOWEnamul Haque, Science and Technology Leader for OwensCorning Automotive Solutions, has been named a Fellow by theSociety of Plastics Engineers (SPE). Haque received the honorfor his contributions to the composites industry.The award waspresented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference in May.

“I feel like it is a great honor to be recognized,” said Haque.“There are five other SPE fellows in composites – all professorswho have published papers on various topics. Industry leadersdon't usually get this award.”

Haque has written 26 publications, including two chapters intwo books. He holds 10 global patents and has another eight in the process of being approved. Much of his work came fromthe study of different types of thermoset and thermoplasticcomposites while he worked for GenCorp General Electric. Inthe past four years at Owens Corning Haque found new usesfor composites in the automotive industry. He led the Scienceand Technology team that invented AcoustiMax™ substratetechnology for use in automotive interior applications.

GLOBAL NEWS ROUNDUP

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While many businesses and consumers have been hurt by the risingprices of oil and steel, Al Mack at Western Fiberglass Sales in RedDeer, Alberta feels a different kind of pain.

“We’re busy,” he says. “The price of oil gets up and everybody’s ina hurry.” Add volatile and rising steel prices to the mix and Mackgets even busier.

“Right now, fiberglass pipe is about the same price as bare steel.Internally coated steel pipe is actually more expensive than fiberglasspipe now.

“Steel is also hard to get,” continues Mack, who gets his glass-reinforced polymer (GRP) pipe from Fiber Glass Systems,San Antonio,Texas. “Right now we can get fiberglass productsquicker than we can get steel.That’s probably another major factor why a lot of oilfields are going to fiberglass pipe.”

The use of composite materials in corrosive environments such asoil fields is nearly as old as the composite industry itself. And afterseveral decades of slowly growing penetration, industry analystspredict annual composites growthrates in the oil, gas and chemicalprocess sectors to be as high as12 percent in the near term,compared to an overall industryaverage growth rate of 5 percent.

Since its introduction in 1948 foroilfield sour crude collection, GRPpipe has grown to more than50 percent of the oilfield pipemarket. GRP performance during all those years has also provided a benchmark for pipe design andinstallation procedures.

Many large established companies have examples of composite pipein continuous operation for more than 50 years with trouble-freecorrosion performance.

Advantages of GRP compared to steel piping are:

• Inherent corrosion resistance• Lighter weight• Ease of fabrication• Lower maintenance costs• Lower life cycle costs

These advantages result in reduced problems with corrosion,reduced hot work from welding, reduction in structural supportsizes and reduction in material handling during construction.

GRP pipe is composed of glass fiber roving, unidirectional orbi-directional fabrics reinforcement wound and consolidated with various resin systems, such as isophthalic polyester, vinyl ester or epoxy.These materials are used in a pipe structure that isdesigned for the application environment and operating conditionsof pressure, axial load, temperature, chemical resistance, electricalconductivity and fire endurance.The resin system contributes tothe temperature and chemical resistance.

The oil and gas production industry uses GRP pipe to controlcorrosion problems in produced fluid lines or faces replacing steelpipe every five to seven years and higher maintenance costs. It is not uncommon to produce and treat seven barrels of brine water for every barrel of crude oil brought out of the ground.

Recent improvements in the glass reinforcement strength anddurability have allowed more cost-effective performance.

For example, the new Owens Corning SE 2350 Advantex® glassfiber reinforcement, introduced at ACMA 2005, has demonstrateda 14 percent increase in hoop stress and a smoother surface finishfor improved handling in the field.

The improved mechanical performance allows for either anincreased pressure rating or the ability for reduced thickness ofexisting products.The improved GRP productivity has eliminatedthe cost barrier for volume use in chemical, gas and oil pipelineswith underground, aboveground and offshore installation.

SE 2350 reinforcement offers significant improvement over state ofthe art through combination of excellent processing attributes andlong-term interfacial adhesion provided by unique sizing chemistryand the inherent corrosion resistance of Advantex glass.

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY

EARLY APPLICATION STILL GROWINGCOMPOSITE MATERIALS CONTINUE TO FIGHT CORROSION IN OIL FIELDS

SE 2350 offers a 17 percent improvement in burst strength over competing products. Other industry-leading performancecharacteristics of the new product include:

• A 10 percent increase in cyclical regression (stress) strength• A 41 percent increase in fabrication efficiency and 35 percent

reduction in rework costs• The opportunity to reduce pipe thickness by 10 percent• Higher corrosion-resistance• Higher processing efficiency• Higher pipe quality as measured by external surface smoothness

An important feature of GRP pipe is that it weighs significantly lessthan steel pipe, which allows most installations to be done by hand.This requires that the surface of the pipe be smooth so peoplehandling the GRP pipe are not scratched or cut.

Owens Corning SE 2350 reinforcement yields a much smoothersurface finish during pipe manufacturing.This is accomplished withless glass fiber tension in the filament winding process when pullingfrom the creel.

Owens Corning Research Associate Len Adzima says theperformance of SE 2350 results in part from a significant change in the chemistry of the sizing applied to the product. SE 2350 is the first roving for filament winding with epoxy resin that wasspecifically designed from the ground up for Advantex glass.

“We were able to develop subtle chemistry and processingchanges that result in a better-processing product with bettermechanical properties,” says Adzima.

To conduct field tests with the new roving, Owens Corningworked closely with Fiber Glass Systems to check the productin their process and produce pipe that could be tested in thelab and field.

“We were happy to help with the development of the newreinforcement product because it will help our business grow as well,” says Jerry Givens,Vice President, Quality and ProcessEngineering, Fiber Glass Systems.

“Not only are the test numbers good but you can see a bigimprovement in the surface appearance of the pipe,” continuesGivens. “Our customers really like the look and feel of pipe made with the new roving.”

In Canada where Al Mack lives and works, GRP pipe hasa long and successful history. Use of the product started insoutheastern Saskatchewan, gradually spread west and northand is now within 75 miles of the Arctic Circle at Norman Wells,Northwest Territories.

“We have fiberglass lines that have been in the ground for morethan 35 years of production,” says Mack. “Today, we are replacingsome steel lines that have been in the ground as little as six oreight months. It just doesn’t last in some situations.We’ve provedthat fiberglass pipe is a viable alternative,” he adds.

Mack says the use of fiberglasspipe in Alberta took off after anapplication at the Swan Hills JudyCreek field north of Calgary.

“We started running fiberglasspipe there in 1993,” continuesMack. “Operating temperaturesthere are around 185°F (85ºC),which is hot, hot fluid, so thatwas kind of our proving groundfor GRP pipe.”

Note: Portions of this articlewere excerpted from a technical

paper titled High Performance GRP Pipe Solutions for Chemical, Oiland Gas Transport written by Dave Hartman, Research Associate,Owens Corning;Wisdom Dzotsi, Program and Commercial Leaderfor HiPer-tex™ Reinforcements, Owens Corning; Mark Greenwood,Composite Solutions Consultants; and Jerry Givens,Vice President,Quality and Process Engineering, Fiber Glass Systems.The paperwas presented at JEC Composites 2006 by Hartman and Givens.

To view the technical paper, click here.

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Birkeland, Norway

Apeldoorn, The Netherlands

Battice, Belgium

Liversedge, U.K.

L’Ardoise, France

San Vicente, Spain

WINNING COMBINATION

VALUE AND INNOVATION DRIVECOMPOSITE GROWTH IN EUROPE

WINNING COMBINATION

VALUE AND INNOVATION DRIVECOMPOSITE GROWTH IN EUROPE

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Owens Corning believes it has awinning formula for growing itscomposites business in Europe –do everything it can to help itscustomers grow. The execution ofthat plan includes delivering valueto customers, helping them expandinto new territories and usinginnovation to enable new andbetter applications.

“Our approach in Europe is thesame as the company’s strategy forgrowth in the rest of the world butit may be easier to see here,” saysRaymund Trost, Vice President andEuropean General Manager for theComposite Solutions Business.

“For example, the customer service team in Brussels is amature organization that is unmatched by any of our competitors.Our Development Support Labs in Belgium and our sales forcethroughout Europe are also delivering value on a daily basis.

“We are working with our customers to develop the marketfor composite materials in Russia and Eastern Europe, and theintroduction of HiPer-tex™ reinforcements and WindStrand™

roving and fabric in Europe is certainly the biggest marketdevelopment news in our industry in recent memory.

“None of this is revolutionary,” adds Trost. “This is whatcustomers expect from an industry leader. We are simplydelivering on our responsibility.”

Owens Corning traces its history in Europe to March 1965 whenthe company established Owens Corning Fiberglas Europe, S.A.Its first factory started operations a year later in Battice, Belgium.

The company now operates a totalof six reinforcement and fabricplants in Europe – Apeldoorn, TheNetherlands; Battice, Belgium;Birkeland, Norway; L’Ardoise,France; Liversedge, U.K.; andSan Vicente, Spain.

The company continues to investin its European manufacturingfacilities. One of the largest recentprojects was a $30 millioncapital improvement program toincrease capacity for veil products(wet-formed chopped strand mat).Europe accounts for about 60percent of the market for veil today.

While composite technology firstcame to Europe from North America, many innovations today areborn in Europe and travel to other parts of the world. Two recentexamples are long fiber thermoplastic reinforcements made withPerforMax® roving and the Silentex® noise control system forsilencers and mufflers.

The company’s new HiPer-tex and WindStrand products weredeveloped with substantial contributions from both sides of theAtlantic. The first two presentations about the breakthroughreinforcement platform were made in Athens and Paris.

“We launched HiPer-tex and WindStrand reinforcements inEurope because the market for wind turbine generators is muchlarger in Europe than it is anywhere else in the world,” says AgustiPorta, Global Wind Energy Business Manager at Owens Corning.

Owens Corning believes it has awinning formula for growing itscomposites business in Europe –do everything it can to help itscustomers grow. The execution ofthat plan includes delivering valueto customers, helping them expandinto new territories and usinginnovation to enable new andbetter applications.

“Our approach in Europe is thesame as the company’s strategy forgrowth in the rest of the world butit may be easier to see here,” saysRaymund Trost, Vice President andEuropean General Manager for theComposite Solutions Business.

“For example, the customer service team in Brussels is amature organization that is unmatched by any of our competitors.Our Development Support Labs in Belgium and our sales forcethroughout Europe are also delivering value on a daily basis.

“We are working with our customers to develop the marketfor composite materials in Russia and Eastern Europe, and theintroduction of HiPer-tex™ reinforcements and WindStrand™

roving and fabric in Europe is certainly the biggest marketdevelopment news in our industry in recent memory.

“None of this is revolutionary,” adds Trost. “This is whatcustomers expect from an industry leader. We are simplydelivering on our responsibility.”

Owens Corning traces its history in Europe to March 1965 whenthe company established Owens Corning Fiberglas Europe, S.A.Its first factory started operations a year later in Battice, Belgium.

The company now operates a totalof six reinforcement and fabricplants in Europe – Apeldoorn, TheNetherlands; Battice, Belgium;Birkeland, Norway; L’Ardoise,France; Liversedge, U.K.; andSan Vicente, Spain.

The company continues to investin its European manufacturingfacilities. One of the largest recentprojects was a $30 millioncapital improvement program toincrease capacity for veil products(wet-formed chopped strand mat).Europe accounts for about 60percent of the market for veil today.

While composite technology firstcame to Europe from North America, many innovations today areborn in Europe and travel to other parts of the world. Two recentexamples are long fiber thermoplastic reinforcements made withPerforMax® roving and the Silentex® noise control system forsilencers and mufflers.

The company’s new HiPer-tex and WindStrand products weredeveloped with substantial contributions from both sides of theAtlantic. The first two presentations about the breakthroughreinforcement platform were made in Athens and Paris.

“We launched HiPer-tex and WindStrand reinforcements inEurope because the market for wind turbine generators is muchlarger in Europe than it is anywhere else in the world,” says AgustiPorta, Global Wind Energy Business Manager at Owens Corning.

The unrivaled Owens Corning customer service team in Europe includes:(l -r back) Els Vansumere, Alexandre Labet, Arlette Ballieux,

Maryna Khrapovytska, Sandra Bongiorno, Els Nys, Laure Verstraete,Alberto Lopez Pablos and Fabienne Gucciardo, (l -r front) Johana

Macaluso, Sylvie Gosset, Joel Jacob, Ilse Verhoeven, Kornelia Moss andNancy Vanschepdael. Not pictured: Flavia Claes.

“We expect about a 15 percent compound annual growth rateglobally for wind turbines and much of that growth will take place in Europe,” continues Porta. “We want to support our customers in the region by providing product and service, of course, but wealso have an obligation to help stimulate the growth of the market.

“The new HiPer-tex reinforcement platform is an enablingtechnology because it will allow the production of longer and stiffer blades that weigh no more than current blades, and at a very attractive cost.That will reduce the cost per kilowatt hour of electricity and stimulate additional growth of wind energy.”

As another example of delivering value, Porta cites work thecompany did to help a fabricator change the manufacturing processfor making nacelle covers, the composite boxes that enclose windturbine gearboxes and generators.Working out of its advancedfabrics factory in Spain, Owens Corning developed a new fabric that made it possible to convert production from an open-mold to a closed-mold process.

Dick Furber, European Sales and Marketing Leader, says HiPer-texand WindStrand reinforcements are the third recent examples ofusing innovation and technology to drive market growth.

“In the past 18 months or so, Owens Corning also introducednew roving products for medium- and high-voltage electricalinsulators (SE 8400 LS) and filament wound pipe (SE 2350).The roving for electrical applications uses technology to deliverthe combined benefits of Advantex® glass with a low seed count,and the roving for filament winding produces epoxy laminateswith higher burst strength.

“All of these products deliver performance benefits that go waybeyond incremental improvements,” adds Furber. “All of theseproducts are examples of breakthrough innovation.”

Trost says the European market for reinforcements is verycompetitive, in part because it is the largest in the world, accountingfor 38 percent of the total. Europe is also the largest thermoplasticsmarket, with 43 percent of the total demand, supported by dynamicautomotive applications.Thirty-six percent of the world’s auto andtransportation applications are based in Europe.

Growth rates have been steady in the region, with a compoundaverage annual growth rate of 7 percent from 2000 to 2004. Andwhile 2005 was basically flat, the company forecasts a growth rateof 6 percent for 2006 and 5 percent annually on average between2005 and 2008.

This is partly due to healthy growth rates recorded in EasternEurope, where demand for composites is estimated to havegrown by about 12 percent annually since 2000. And whilea third of that growth is attributed to relocation of manufacturingfrom the West to the East, local and regional needs areincreasingly fueling industry growth.

The construction and infrastructure markets currently representabout half of the Eastern Europe composites demand, but theautomotive sector is increasingly driving growth as well with about17 percent of total composites demand in 2005.

Working with customers in Russia and Central and Eastern Europeare Norbert Pietruzka and Milan Tomaska. Pietruzka focuses onPoland while Tomaska covers 10 countries (Czech Republic,Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina,Ukraine, Belarus and Russia).

With its northern border on the Baltic Sea,it should not be surprising that Polandhas a thriving and growing marine market.The country is the world’s second largestproducer of motorboats and yachts up to10 meters in length (33 feet). Owens Corningrecently qualified two chopped strand mat

products with five of the leading companies in the industry.Chopped strand products have also been approved bythermoplastic compounders.To serve these markets and othersin Poland, Owens Corning has two distributors with a total of12 stocking points.

For Central and Eastern Europe,Tomaska says distribution isessential in introducing the Owens Corning brand to the marketbecause distribution covers 40 to 45 percent of the compositesbusiness in those countries.

“We are already present in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia,Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria,” he says. Each glassfiber distributor is locally present in the country, selling mainlychopped strand mat and spray-up roving, along with resins andother products for composites. Most of the distributors have morethan one stocking point.

“Dry chopped strands are also now being used in Russia,” addsTomaska. “We have been a pioneer in introducing chopped strandsto the market. Companies there are still using roving and it is a verycompetitive market with locally present cheap glass fiber.”

Last year, Owens Corning also took an important first step towardgrowing its automotive business in Central and Eastern Europe withan agreement to manufacture Silentex® bags in the Czech Republic.The company is producing the Mercedes S-Class muffler bags forArvin, a customer located in Hungary.

“These are all big steps forward and demonstrate our commitmentto follow and ultimately lead our customers’ expansions to the east,”says Trost. “We are now on the map in Central and Eastern Europe,which is important in our communication to our customers.”

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OWENS CORNING WORLD HEADQUARTERS ONE OWENS CORNING PARKWAY TOLEDO, OHIO, USA 43659

1-800-GET-PINK www.owenscorning.com

Pub. No. 10001245–Composite Solutions–Magazine for Customers 3rd Edition. Printed in U.S.A. August 2006.THE PINK PANTHER™ & ©1964–2006 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. WindStrand,HiPer-tex and AcoustiMax are trademarks of Owens Corning. Advantex, PerforMax, OC and Silentex are registered trademarks of Owens Corning.© 2006 Owens Corning.

COMPOSITE SOLUTIONSPublished several times each year by the Owens Corning Composite Solutions Business.

Executive Editor : Steve Zirkel,Vice President, OC® Automotive Solutions and Global Marketing+1-419-248-5761steve.zirkel@owenscorning.com

Managing Editor : Carnell Baker, Marketing Communication Leader+1-419-248-7344carnell.baker@owenscorning.com

Correspondence can also be sent to Zirkel or Baker at Owens Corning WorldHeadquar ters, One Owens Corning Parkway,Toledo, OH 43659.

COME SEE USThe Owens Corning Composite Solutions Businesswill be at the following trade shows:

• China Composites, September 4-6, Shanghai, China

• Composites & Polycon 2006 (ACMA), October 18-20, St. Louis, Mo.

• Feiplar Composites & Feipur, November 7-9, São Paulo, Brazil

The composites industry is “goinggreen.” Here are a few currentexamples of how Owens Corningand the composites industry arepracticing environmental stewardship:

• Owens Corning made a keydecision early in the developmentof its new high performancereinforcement platform trademarkedHiPer-tex™ – the new family ofproducts will not be made withboron or fluorine.

• Wind energy is already at theleading edge of the environmentalmovement and HiPer-texreinforcements will soon enablethe industry to take another stepforward by reducing the cost perkilowatt-hour. Also, Owens Corningrecently helped a turbine equipmentfabricator convert from an open-mold process to a moreenvironmentally friendly closed-moldprocess.The company’s contributionwas a new fabric that made theconversion possible.

• The composition of Advantex® glassallows the use of advanced meltingtechnology.The results are dramaticreductions in Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)emissions as well as increased energyefficiency and reduced CO2 emissions.

• In the aging sewer systems of suchdiverse countries as India and Sweden,municipal governments are protectingthe environment by installing corrosion-resistant and long-lasting compositeliners made with Advantex glass.

According to Ashish Diwanji,VicePresident of Innovation for theComposite Solutions Business, protectingthe environment is more than a goal atOwens Corning – it is a keystone ofthe company’s corporate philosophyof responsibility.

“The company’s commitment to theenvironment involves the production of the high-quality, long-lasting productswhile taking measures to conservenatural resources and minimize theenvironmental impact associated withmanufacturing,” explains Diwanji.

GOING GREEN

STEWARDSHIP GAINS MOMENTUM IN COMPOSITES

Environmental footprint charts show theimprovement achieved by changing from conventional

E-glass to Advantex® glass and implementing new meltingtechnology enabled by the change.

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Traditional Boron E-glass Manufacturing Platform

Advantex Glass Manufacturing Platform