Photo courtesy of Eastman Chemical Co.

COLUMBIA, South Carolina and KINGSPORT, Tennessee, - March 4, 2005 - Jobwerx News - Eastman Chemical Company has officially broken ground in Columbia, S.C., on the first commercial scale PET resin plant based on the company’s IntegRex technology.

Eastman is the world’s leading supplier of PET resin for packaging and expects to have the new 350,000 metric ton manufacturing facility on-line by the fourth quarter 2006. Additional elements of IntegRex technology will be used to retrofit the company’s existing intermediates assets to provide a portion of the purified terephthalic acid (PTA) needed for this expansion.

“This facility will continue to strengthen Eastman’s leadership position in polyesters for packaging,” said Brian Ferguson, Eastman’s chairman and CEO. “It directly supports our goal to extend our expertise and know-how into those markets where we can differentiate ourselves from our competitors.”

Ferguson noted that the IntegRex technology, introduced by Eastman in September of 2004, will give Eastman a sustainable competitive advantage in the growing global PET resin market. IntegRex technology is a breakthrough innovation in the integrated conversion of paraxylene (PX) to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin.

Photo courtesy of Eastman Chemical Company

Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) manufactures and markets chemicals, fibers and plastics worldwide. It provides key differentiated coatings, adhesives and specialty plastics products; is the world’s largest producer of PET polymers for packaging; and is a major supplier of cellulose acetate fibers. Eastman is leveraging its heritage of innovation and strength in polyester, acetyl and organic chemistry technologies to drive growth and meet increasing demand in four select markets: building and construction, packaging, health, and electronics. Founded in 1920 and headquartered in Kingsport, Tenn., Eastman is a FORTUNE 500 company with 2004 sales of $6.6 billion and approximately 12,000 employees.

Voridian, an operating division of Eastman Chemical Company, contains the Polymers Segment, which includes PET polymers and polyethylene products, and the Fibers Segment. Eastman Division contains the Coatings, Adhesives, Specialty Polymers and Inks Segment, the Specialty Plastics Segment and the Performance Chemicals and Intermediates Segment.

Founded in 1920 to supply basic photographic chemicals for Eastman Kodak Company, Eastman Chemical Company became an independent publicly traded company in January 1994.

Headquarters: Eastman Chemical Company - PO Box 511 Kingsport, Tennessee 37662 USA Telephone: (423) 229-2000 Fax: (423) 229-2145

Columbia, S.C., Manufacturing Site - Voridian - Division of Eastman Chemical Company - Columbia Operations - PO Box 1782 - Columbia, South Carolina 29202 USA Telephone: 803-794-9200

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