BOC Edwards Headed for Flat Panel Banner Year.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Global materials, equipment, and services provider, BOC Edwards, announced today that it expects overall business from the TFT-LCD industry in 2005 to surpass the levels of 2004 despite a drop in overall customer investment levels from the peak last year.

Growth has come through a combination of increased market share in vacuum pumps, gas supply wins, and through joint initiatives with environmentally-focused customers to develop solutions capable of handling the high global warming waste byproducts of TFT-LCD (thin film transistor-liquid crystal display) array etch processes.

In addition to these organic growth streams, BOC Edwards has also established itself firmly in the services sector of the TFT-LCD industry through the recently-announced formation of a joint venture in Taiwan with Highlight Tech Corp. (HTC). This activity, focused on high-value process equipment component cleaning and recovery, is expected to contribute significantly in the coming months.

More than 700 vacuum systems have already shipped in 2005, with 500 more scheduled for shipment by year end. David Wong, managing director for the company's vacuum business, comments "our growth in TFT this year is particularly pleasing on two fronts: our product strength, support capability and applications experience is clearly being recognized as customers across the region choose us as the preferred partner when they upgrade manufacturing technology. We have won the largest share of the vacuum business in virtually every Gen 6, Gen 7 and Gen 7.5 investment. Secondly, we have made progress in Japan this year, winning orders for the PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical-vapor deposition) business at a new Gen 6 fab against strong incumbent domestic competition. It is clear that customers recognize and value our strength and experience in this industry."

BOC Edwards will invest more than US$20m in bulk gas generation equipment at TFT manufacturing sites in 2005. This equipment is linked to long-term supply contracts at those customer sites.

As TFT-LCD manufacturers in Taiwan have become more proactive in addressing global warming emissions from their manufacturing processes, BOC Edwards' thermal processing unit (TPU) has quickly evolved as the only technology with proven capability to destroy production levels of SF6, the most environmentally harmful exhaust gas commonly used in TFT manufacture. SF6 makes up more than 90% of the global warming emissions from the Taiwan TFT industry, and has more than 22,000 times the global warming potential of CO2. "As we continue to address this key environmental issue in Taiwan, by the end of 2005 we will have supplied a total of more than 50 of the exhaust treatment systems to TFT manufacturers," Wong concluded.

Editor Background

BOC Edwards, part of The BOC Group (NYSE:BOX) (LSE:BOC), is a leading supplier of materials, process-enabling subsystems and services to fabs and OEMs involved in the manufacture of microelectronics devices. Serving two million customers in more than 50 countries, The BOC Group is one of the largest and most global of the world's leading gases companies, with annual sales of GBP 4.6 billion (more than US$8 billion) in 2004. Information on the BOC Group can be accessed by visiting the Group web site, www.boc.com. Specific information on BOC Edwards can be found at www.bocedwards.com. E-mail inquiries can be sent to [e-mail].