Rockwood Press Release

John Anderton Named President of Rockwood Wafer Reclaim Business

Princeton, NJ, (July 26, 2004) - Rockwood Specialties Group, Inc. ("Rockwood") today announced that John Anderton has been named president of Rockwood's Wafer Reclaim business, effective immediately. Anderton has been with the company for 20 years and previously served as global sales director.

Anderton will be based in the U.K. and will report directly to Seifi Ghasemi, Rockwood chairman and chief executive officer. He will have responsibility for all of Rockwood's Wafer Reclaim operations, including:

• Riddings, Derbyshire, U.K. (business headquarters)
• Gréasque, France (newly upgraded facility for 200 mm wafer reclaim)
• Exsil, Inc., North American subsidiary with U.S. facilities in Prescott, Arizona and Providence, Rhode Island
• ISILTEC, Erlangen, Germany (specializing in 300 mm wafer reclaim)

According to Ghasemi, "John brings an impressive depth of knowledge and experience to this position. I am confident that he and his management team are well equipped to move our wafer reclaim business forward."    

Anderton is supported by the experienced Wafer Reclaim management team of:

• Jerry Winters, vice president, operations
• Marilyn Bollengier, vice president, business development and sales
• Hans-Martin Dudenhausen, managing director, ISILTEC
• John Casabonne, director of quality, SH&E, Exsil, Inc.

Anderton joined Rockwood in 1984 as a project engineer. He subsequently advanced to technical sales and general management. Prior to joining the company, he worked in academic research and education.

Anderton received a first class Bachelor of Science degree in pure chemistry from the University of Hull, Kingston upon Hull, U.K., in 1977 and a graduate teaching qualification from Nottingham University, University Park, Nottingham, U.K. in 1981.

Headquartered in Riddings, Derbyshire, U.K., Rockwood's Wafer Reclaim provides the global semiconductor industry with leading wafer reclaim services, including reclaim management, wafer polishing and inspection, wafer thinning and substrate supply.

Rockwood Specialties Group, Inc. is a world-class specialty chemicals and advanced materials company. It recently announced entering into an agreement to acquire four specialty chemicals and advanced materials businesses, comprising the Dynamit Nobel group (excluding its plastics division), from MG Technologies. With the pending acquisition of these Dynamit Nobel businesses, Rockwood will have sales of more than $2.5 billion and a worldwide employee base of 10,000 people. The company focuses on global niche segments of the specialty chemicals and advanced material markets, including pigments, surface treatment, fine chemicals, ceramics, custom synthesis, performance additives, specialty compounds and electronics. For more information on Rockwood, please visit www.rocksp.com