PolyOne Expands Globalization with New Middle East Joint Venture

CLEVELAND,/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PolyOne Corporation (NYSE: POL), a premier global provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions, today announced an agreement with E.A. Juffali & Brothers Company Limited to form a joint venture that will enable PolyOne to expand its Global Color, Additives and Inks business into the Middle East. The new joint venture will be 51% owned by PolyOne and will be based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

"I am pleased to announce our new agreement, which strengthens our relationship with a key business partner to drive profitable growth in the Middle East," said Stephen D. Newlin, chairman, president and chief executive officer of PolyOne. "Juffali brings local expertise and years of running successful businesses in the region, while PolyOne is providing the formulating technology and material science to market new, innovative solutions."

The joint venture will be investing in a new manufacturing facility focused on the production of specialty color concentrates with the potential for expansion into other product lines in future phases. The initial investment is expected to be approximately $14 million and will take place over the next nine to twelve months with local production forecasted to come on-line in late 2012.

The agreement follows PolyOne's October 3, 2011 announcement that it will acquire ColorMatrix Group, a leading global innovator of additives, liquid colorants and fluoropolymers.

About PolyOne

PolyOne Corporation, with 2010 revenues of $2.6 billion, is a premier provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions. Headquartered outside of Cleveland, Ohio USA, PolyOne has operations around the world. For additional information on PolyOne, visit our Web site at www.polyone.com.

About E.A. Juffali & Brothers Company Limited

E.A. Juffali & Brothers Company Limited is an established conglomerate in Saudi Arabia participating in numerous joint venture relationships with multi-national companies who are leaders in their respective industries such as Dow Chemical and DuPont.