Rockwood Press Release

Rockwood Pigments Announces Agreement with W.R. Grace for Distribution of Liquid Pigments

BELTSVILLE, MARYLAND (January 29, 2003) — Rockwood Pigments, a division of one of the world’s leaders in specialty chemicals, Rockwood Specialties Inc., recently joined in an agreement with W.R. Grace for the distribution of liquid pigments.

Grace Construction Products, a worldwide leader in products and services for the construction industry, and Davis Colors, the leading U.S. producer of color additives and automatic color handling systems for ready mix concrete, today announced that they have reached an agreement in principle to form a distribution alliance. Under the terms of the proposed agreement Grace will distribute Davis’ Hydrotint® liquid color and Chameleon liquid color dispensing systems to ready mix and precast producers in North America.

“We are pleased to be forming this alliance with Davis Colors, the leader in color additives for the ready mix concrete industry. Our agreement with Davis will provide us with the opportunity to combine Grace’s leadership position in admixtures and fibers with the technology leader in liquid pigments,” says Wayne T. Smith, general manager of Specialty Construction Chemicals at Grace. “This agreement would also provide Grace with another value-added technology to offer our customers and enhances our position as a leading provider of liquid systems to the concrete industry.”

Adding the liquid pigments product line increases Grace’s offering of products and services that enhance the appearance of concrete and complements the products for architectural concrete which are offered by Pieri SAS acquired by Grace France. “Our new products and services provide our ready mix and precast customers with a way to add value to their concrete and grow the overall market demand for concrete,” states Smith. “The color concrete market is one of the most active segments in the industry. Our goal is to increase the penetration of color in concrete and make concrete an attractive building material from an aesthetic as well as structural perspective.”

“Through excellence in service and product innovation, Davis Colors has become the market leader in providing color additives and dosing systems to the ready mix market,” states Nick Paris, VP of Marketing for Davis Colors. “We believe the combination of our proven Chameleon automatic color system and pigment manufacturing expertise with Grace’s extensive support network and admixture know-how will offer ready mix and precast producers a compelling reason to choose the Grace/Davis alliance for supply of their color requirements. We will continue to focus on servicing existing Davis customers and systems development while Grace will focus on new market opportunities. We are enthusiastic about working together with Grace and believe it will further increase the availability of concrete colors throughout the US and Canada,” comments Paris.

Grace and Davis Colors anticipate finalizing the alliance during the first quarter of 2003, subject to negotiation of definitive agreements and the obtaining of appropriate approvals.

Davis Colors is the leading U.S. producer of color additives and automatic color handling systems for ready mix concrete and other products made of concrete. Davis Colors is a flagship brand of Rockwood Pigments NA, Inc. and has been a pioneer in the industry since 1952. Headquartered in Beltsville, Maryland, Rockwood Pigments, a division of Rockwood Specialties Inc., is one of the largest iron oxide pigment manufacturers in the world, with operations in North America, Europe and the Far East. Visit the company web site at www.daviscolors.com.

Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Grace Construction Products, a business unit of W.R. Grace & Co., (NYSE: GRA) is a world-leading manufacturer of technically superior concrete admixtures and fiber reinforcement that make concrete stronger, longer lasting, crack resistant, stress resistant and cost efficient. The company also manufactures products for architectural concrete, cement processing additives, fire protection, fire stops, waterproofing and masonry products, and has more than 125 plants and sales offices around the world. For more information about Grace’s product line, customers can contact their local Grace representatives or visit the web site at www.graceconstruction.com.

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.