GE Advanced Materials roles out China Color Palette in Europe

BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands, November 4, 2004 — GE Advanced Materials unveiled a new line of Visualfx* special-effects resins on top of the current innovative Visualfx resin portfolio that were carefully engineered to match color trends and preferences of the domestic Chinese market. Called China Palette, these new, molded-in-color premium materials allow product designers developing and designing products for China to create highly differentiated products that are more economical and address growing eco-label concerns vs. paint. The new eye-catching palette is aimed at applications such as home appliances, cosmetic cases/packaging, personal care devices, and portable electronic products including mobile phones, laptops, personal data assistants (PDAs), and gaming devices.

According to Paola Babka, European product manager Visualfx & CYCOLOY* resin, GE Advanced Materials, “We’re extremely excited about the new China Palette offering. To our knowledge, this is the first time that anyone has focused on color trend preferences in China and developed a resin palette specifically for this important growth region.” Citing scientific studies showing differences in the trends and color preferences of Chinese consumers vs. consumers in other parts of the world, Hong added, “We’ve applied GE’s color technology expertise to develop color and special-effects packages that allow our customers to create products whose aesthetic values pay tribute to China’s cultural roots, while projecting a sophisticated, high-value image that is attractive to today’s consumers.”

The new base-color palette and special effects are part of GE’s extensive Visualfx special-effects product line (www.geplastics.com/en/resins/aesthetics and www.gecolorxpress.com). Eight new families of special effects are being introduced:

• Golden Sparkle – reminiscent of gilt objects from China’s rich cultural history, this earth-tone effect features the look of metallic flakes whose size and concentration can be varied. This product joins GE’s existing Sparkle, White Sparkle, and Dark Sparkle lines.
• Porcelain – pale, semi-gloss colors honoring the ancient Chinese art of ceramics.
• Opalucent – opalescent and translucent in shades of jade, this subtle effect captures a sense of glamour that is at once timeless and very modern.
• Optillusion – black and white colors whose shimmering surfaces display other colors via metamerism.
• Pearlescent – pearlized and translucent earth tones underscoring the appeal of pearls, both ancient and modern.
• Vivid – high-impact and edgy, opaque chromatic colors that help products make a bold, differentiated statement.
• Polar Light – muted chroma shades, reminiscent of a flickering aurora in the night skys.
• Jellyfish – translucent fluorescent shades with edge glow effects that feature a high-tech, high-energy look.

“While we designed these products for use inside Greater China,” Paola Babka added, “they are equally appropriate for use in European markets. With our Six Sigma quality practices in place, color consistency is excellent – whether a component is molded in Beijing or in Berlin. By developing the China Palette, GE is demonstrating its strong commitment to provide visual pleasing esthetics while offering system cost out opportunities around the world to better service customers.”

To help support the product design process with its new China Palette, GE Advanced Materials offers color matching and sampling services through its ColorXpress** Services (www.colorxpress.com) and Customer Innovation Centers (www.geplastics.com/en/resins/aesthetics/cic.html) in Shanghai, China; Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands; and Selkirk, N.Y., U.S.A. All products in the new GE China Palette are available globally with con

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+31 164 29 20 97

helen.vandebovenkamp@​ge.com

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