Contact:         James J. Roop, 216.902.3800, jroop@roopco.com

For Release:  Immediate

Tri-Star Laminates/LCOA to Purchase Gould CAC® Business

Chandler, AZ – (February 9, 2006) – Gould Electronics, a subsidiary of Nikko Materials Co., Ltd. (“Nikko Materials”), said today that it has signed a letter of intent to sell its Copper Aluminum Copper (CAC®) business to Tri-Star Laminates/LCOA.   Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. 

Tri-Star Laminates will operate the business as a separate entity to be called CAC®, Inc. The sale will involve the assets, including manufacturing equipment, and inventory of the CAC® product line, which also includes Duo-Foil and B-10, all of which are directed to the printed circuit board industry.  Going forward, CAC®, Inc. would manufacture the full CAC® product line under license from Gould.   

Nikko Materials previously announced plans to close its Chandler, AZ, manufacturing facility and U.S. headquarters by April 2006. 

Insulectro will remain the exclusive distributor of the CAC® products in the United States and IEC will remain the distributor to the Canadian market. 

“We are pleased that this transaction will allow for continuity of service to many Gould customers as we phase out U.S. operations,” said David P. Burgess, Gould president. 

“Having been a distributor of Gould products for many years Insulectro understands the value of the CAC® products as well as the value of a continued domestic manufacturing presence to the North American PCB industry. This transaction is very synergistic with our Tri-Star/LCOA manufacturing business and we look forward to integrating the CAC® business into our manufacturing strategy,” said Timothy P. Redfern, Tri-Star and Insulectro president.

Additional details regarding the CAC® product line can be found on the Gould Electronics web site, www.gould.com.

Nikko Materials USA, Inc., a subsidiary of Nikko Materials Co. Ltd., produces electrodeposited copper foil for printed circuit board manufacturers and laminators under the Gould brand, and sputtering targets for semiconductor applications, flat panel displays and data storage devices under the Nikko Materials brand.

Tri-Star/LCOA is the leading developer and manufacturer of entry and backup material used to drill printed circuit boards.  Tri-Star manufactures EO+ composite entry material, Spectrum Gold and Series 3000 backup as well as its patented Slickback_TM, a lubricated backup material that is effective in reducing drill wear, improving hole wall quality while saving its customers substantial money in their drilling process. Additional information about Tri-Star/LCOA can be found at www.lcoa.com.

Insulectro serves as a one-stop source for printed circuit board fabricators for advanced electronic materials used to manufacture complex multilayer, flex and rigid flex printed circuit boards and other electronic interconnect systems.  Insulectro’s line of products includes copper-clad laminates, prepregs, dry film photo-resist, PCB chemistry, backup and entry materials, copper and aluminum foils, precision drills & routers and lamination assist materials. More information on Insulectro is available at www.insulectro.com.

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