Japan Operations Update - March 20, 2011

Dear Valued Customers,

As was originally communicated on March 14, our manufacturing facility in Ohta, Japan is intact and suffered no significant damage to key assets or materials as a result of the earthquake and tsunami that impacted Japan on Friday, March 11. Additionally, our Quartz locations in Kozuki and Kobe were unaffected and our sales and administration offices in Tokyo, Nagoya and Fukouka are operating normally.

We have resumed certain operations in Ohta, but are currently running at reduced rates due to rolling power outages in addition to continued transportation and supply-related issues across Japan.

• We continue to analyze the situation in Japan and have implemented contingency plans to help ensure service to our customers 
• We will leverage our global assets and do all that we can to minimize any impact to our customers and strive to meet their needs
• Customer Service and account representatives are ready to assist with any order-specific questions

As always, our customers are our number one focus. We appreciate everyone’s understanding and patience during this unusual circumstance.

Sincerely,

John Dandolph

Senior Vice President, Managing Director – Asia Pacific