Ferro 2001 Annual Report - The Right Geographic Expansion

RISING CONSUMER INCOMES and stronger economies in certain areas of the world such as Asia have created an increase in demand for many Ferro products. As a result, the Company has invested in manufacturing facilities and expanded into new geographic markets to serve international customers and end-users better.

In the past two years, for example, Ferro has opened a plant for plastic colorants in Indonesia and has expanded existing sites to serve the growing tile markets in Thailand and Indonesia. In addition, the dmc² acquisition helped strengthen Ferro's presence in Europe and expanded the electronic materials business in Japan.

Elsewhere throughout the world, Ferro continues to make selective investments to serve more mature markets, such as introducing new products in the ceramic tile market of Europe, and capitalizing on growth opportunities in electronic materials and polymer additives in the North American market.

The global reach of Ferro products is illustrated in the applications shown above -- from the electrodes used for solar panels, an increasingly popular form of energy generation in many parts of the world, to the ceramic materials and metals used for capacitors in electronic products like the Japanese cell phone, to the decorative colors and gold plate used in elegant Benjarong Ceramics handcrafted by skilled Thai craftsmen.