DSM and Corning Extend Agreement for Supply of Optical Fiber Coating

ELGIN, Ill., April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- DSM and Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) today announced the signing of a new, multi-year contract that extends and builds upon the two technology leaders' more than 30 year supply relationship and track record in providing telecom operators with world-leading optical fiber products.

"The advanced DeSolite® coatings that DSM supplies to Corning for the production of our CPC® coated optical fibers are important components in the handling and performance of these products," said Barry Linchuck, Division Vice President and Director of Worldwide Marketing, Corning Optical Fiber.  "We are pleased to extend our strategic supplier relationship with DSM.  When combined with Corning's advanced process technology, DSM's DeSolite® coating formulations help protect the enhanced attributes of our fiber, such as low attenuation and resistance to microbending."

"It is vital that the owners of optical fiber investments have confidence in the systems they deploy in terms of reliability, now and in the future, particularly as optical fiber and related coating technology continues to advance," said Rob Crowell, Sr. Business Director Functional Materials, DSM.  "The ongoing Corning-DSM strategic relationship combines Corning's excellence in optical fiber processing with DSM's excellence in advanced coating formulations, giving network operators confidence they are getting a reliable product manufactured by the world's leading optical fiber producer that is robust enough to 'future-proof' their networks."

Inferior optical fiber coatings can lead to poor performance in network deployments.  DSM's advanced coatings supplied to Corning provide excellent protection against these potential challenges.  Designed to be mechanically stripped, these coatings are optimized for many single- and multi-fiber cable designs, including loose tube, ribbon, slotted core and tight buffer cables.

Detailed product specifications are available at www.dsmfunctionalmaterials.com and www.corning.com.

DSM – Bright Science. Brighter Living.™

Royal DSM N.V. is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. By connecting its unique competences in Life Sciences and Materials Sciences DSM is driving economic prosperity, environmental progress and social advances to create sustainable value for all stakeholders. DSM delivers innovative solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance in global markets such as food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials. DSM's 22,000 employees deliver annual net sales of about euro 9 billion. The company is listed on NYSE Euronext. More information can be found at www.dsm.com

DSM Functional Materials

DSM Functional Materials is a leading developer of high-performance functional coatings and composite materials.  Our Functional Coatings portfolio includes DeSolite® and Cablelite® UV-curable coatings, inks and matrix materials for the manufacture of optical fiber and cable, Somos® stereolithography additive fabrication materials, UVolve® Instant Floor Coatings for the protection of concrete floors, and UVaCorr® anti-corrosion coatings for tube and pipe applications.  Our Composite Materials portfolio will include light-weight products for air-cargo containers, as well as materials for solar applications.

DSM Functional Materials operates as a Business Unit within the Performance Materials cluster of Royal DSM N.V. and is dedicated to material innovations that contribute to a more sustainable world.  DSM Functional Materials is currently headquartered in Elgin, IL (USA) and operates research and manufacturing facilities in the USA, Europe and Asia Pacific, as well as a joint venture with JSR in Japan.  More information can be found at:  www.dsmfunctionalmaterials.com.

About Corning Incorporated

Corning Incorporated (www.corning.com) is the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics.  Drawing on more than 150 years of materials science and process engineering knowledge, Corning creates and makes keystone components that enable high-technology systems for consumer electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications and life sciences. Our products include glass substrates for LCD televisions, computer monitors and laptops; ceramic substrates and filters for mobile emission control systems; optical fiber, cable, hardware & equipment for telecommunications networks; optical biosensors for drug discovery; and other advanced optics and specialty glass solutions for a number of industries including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy and metrology.

DeSolite®, Cablelite®, UVolve®, Somos® and UVaCorr® are trademarks of DSM.  Use of these trademarks is strictly prohibited unless authorized.

Forward-looking statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to DSM’s future (financial) performance and position.  Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of DSM and information currently available to the company.  DSM cautions readers that such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and therefore it should be understood that many factors can cause actual performance and position to differ materially from these statements.  DSM has no obligation to update the statements contained this press release, unless require by law.  The English language version of the press release is leading.

For more information:
Kim Axiotis
DSM Functional Materials
tel. +1-847-468-7773
[email protected]

SOURCE DSM; Corning Incorporated