2/10/06 - Lonza Expands at Pease International
Largest Pease Tenant Broadens Their Manufacturing Capacity in Biopharmaceuticals

Portsmouth, NH - Lonza's Board of Directors has approved a significant expansion plan for its manufacturing facility for biopharmaceuticals in Portsmouth. Construction is scheduled to begin this spring.

Lonza just completed a 280,000 square foot addition in 2004 and will expand their facility again by 250,000 additional square feet for a total of 600,000 square feet. Lonza is committed to this expansion as they are experiencing high customer demand for delivering new mid-scale bioreactor capacity (a bioreactor chamber is where biological growth, product formation, and/or enzymatic reactions occur). Groundbreaking for the 5,000 liter (or 1,320 gallons) reactor is planned for April 2006.

"Portsmouth is an important biopharmaceutical manufacturing site for Lonza and the expansion of the manufacturing capacities with the fourth 20,000 liter reactor and the approval to build a new mid-scale plant with 4-6 x 5,000 liter bioreactors are initiated in response to strong customer demand. With the expansion, 250-400 new jobs, 70% in operations and 30% in Research and Development (R&D), will be created", states Stephan Kutzer, Member of the Executive Committee of Lonza.

"Lonza is one of the foremost biotechnology companies in the world and we feel extremely fortunate they chose to locate in New Hampshire at Pease", states George Bald, Executive Director, Pease Development Authority. "This is their second major expansion in two years, making them the largest tenant at Pease International."

This growth initiative complements the existing large-scale 20,000 liter reactors utilized at their Portsmouth facility. This investment expands Lonza's manufacturing capacity consisting of 2,000, 5,000 and 20,000 liter bioreactors and will provide customers with distinct advantages, allowing for increased sales and ultimately, increased business for Portsmouth and the State.

"During my visit at Lonza in December, I had the opportunity to discuss with the company's leaders their plans for expansion and I'm pleased they are moving forward", states Governor John Lynch.

About Lonza
Lonza is a chemical and biotechnology company driven by the life sciences and generated 2.52 billion in sales in 2005. Headquartered in Switzerland, Lonza operates 21 production and R&D sites around the world. Its 6,000 employees are passionately committed to delivering sustainable value to their customers.

Lonza is one of the leading custom manufacturers of chemical intermediates, active ingredients and biopharmaceuticals for the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. On the basis of organic chemical, oleochemical (chemicals derived from biological oils or fats) and biotechnology platforms, Lonza creates value-added solutions for the nutrition, hygiene & personal care, wood & water treatment and industrial specialty markets. Lonza also offers polymer intermediates (chemicals used to alter/improve the consistency of materials), resins and compounds. Further information can be found on our website www.lonza.com.