BOC expands business in China with Shanghai Worldbest win.

Business Editors

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 2004

BOC (LSE:BOX), the largest industrial gases company in China and in Asia, has been awarded a long-term contract to supply Shanghai Worldbest OFIB Technology Inc. (Worldbest), the newly established optical communication division of Shanghai Worldbest Co. Ltd (SWC).

BOC will supply Worldbest with bulk and cylinder quantities of helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and argon.

SWC was established by the Chinese government to further the development of the "China Worldbest Yangtze River Industrial Corridor," a major Chinese science and industry trade zone. Construction of Worldbest's optical fiber drawing site in XinHe Town, Chongming County, Shanghai, is nearing completion. When finished later this year, it will become SWC's production base for single mode, multi-mode and special optical fibers with an annual production capacity of two million fiber kilometers.

Wu Haisheng, general manager, Worldbest OFIB, said, "We selected BOC as our gas supplier because they showed the broadest understanding of our fiber process and requirements, as well as the ability to apply that knowledge to ensure that we have the most cost effective solution for our facility today and in the future."

Glenn Rush, vice president, fiber optics solutions, BOC, said, "This win illustrates why we are the leading industrial gases supplier to the fiber optics industry. Only BOC has the industry know-how, technical expertise and local resources to deliver sophisticated solutions to customers around the world."

This win further solidifies BOC's position as the leading industrial gases supplier to China's industrial zones. BOC was the first global industrial gases company to establish a presence in China 20 years ago. Today, through its three lines of business and several joint venture companies, BOC has invested more than US$400 million to serve its customers in China.

BOC is also the primary industrial gases supplier for two of China's other major industrial parks, the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) and the Suzhou New District (SND). The company has invested in pipeline infrastructure in SIP/SND, and BOC's Process Gas Solutions (PGS) line of business has recently initiated important projects with: YPC, a subsidiary of Sinopec, the leading chemicals group in China; Taiyuan Iron and Steel Corporation (TISCO), the largest stainless steel producer in China; and Guangzhou Iron and Steel (GIS).

Neil Greenfield, senior vice president, business development, PGS, said, "We are confident that our strategy of focused investments in China, such as selective, large-scale investments in infrastructure and strategic joint ventures, will further cement BOC's leadership position in Asia."

The BOC fiber optic solution group is dedicated to using its knowledge, skill and experience to solve the complex needs and challenges of optical fiber manufacturers. Since the late 1970s, BOC has been supplying high-purity gases, chemicals, equipment, services and technologies to the optical fiber manufacturing community.

PGS is a leading supplier of gas and related solutions to the glass, petroleum, chemicals, water services, electronic packaging, fiber optics, hydrogen energy, metals and food industries. BOC helps meet customer needs in a variety of ways, from the supply of a single gas or application through to designing, constructing and operating fully integrated gas and utilities schemes.

The BOC Group is one of the largest and most global of the world's leading gases companies. Serving two million customers in more than 50 countries, BOC employs some 44,500 people and had annual sales of over $7 billion in 2003. BOC is organized into three global lines of business - aligning our organization directly to our customers.