Ferro Corporation has commissioned its new tile color plant in Castellon, Spain, just a year after breaking ground on its sprawling campus in this southern Spain city. The plant includes approximately 12,000 square meters (approx. 129,000 square feet) for production, quality control and supporting laboratory facilities. It includes state-of-the-art material handling and production technologies that increase manufacturing efficiency and that optimize the quality and consistency of Ferro's glaze and body stain product lines sold to the growing European tile market. 
 
"We began producing and shipping color this week - a month ahead of schedule," said Michael J. Murry, Vice President, Inorganic Specialties. "We're ramping up to reach annual production capacity of over 20,000 metric tons of color products." 
 
Julio Garcia, European Business Manager for Ferro Tile Coating Systems, said, "Ferro has produced color products in Castellon for 42 years. This major investment enables us to build on our position as a valued supplier and technical advisor to our customers. We are very excited by the opportunity to carry on Ferro's long-standing tradition of excellence in serving our customers throughout Europe and the world." In addition to colors, other facilities at Ferro's Castellon site produce a range of products used by leading ceramic tile manufacturers. 
 
About Ferro Corporation 
 
Ferro Corporation is a leading global supplier of technology-based performance materials for manufacturers. Ferro materials enhance the performance of products in a variety of end markets, including electronics, telecommunications, solar energy, pharmaceuticals, building and renovation, appliances, automotive, household furnishings, and industrial products. Founded in 1919 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the Company has approximately 6,700 employees globally and reported 2006 sales of $2.0 billion. 
 
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements 
 
Certain statements in this Ferro press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Federal securities laws. These statements are subject to a variety of uncertainties, unknown risks and other factors concerning the Company's operations and business environment, which are difficult to predict and often beyond the control of the Company. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by these forward-looking statements, and that could adversely affect the Company's future financial performance, include, but are not limited to the following: 
 
the availability and cost of raw materials and other supplies;  
intense competition in the markets the Company serves;  
successful execution of projects designed to improve operating margins;  
successful execution of restructuring programs to improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce costs;  
the unpredictability and cyclicality of demand in the Company's markets;  
exposure to currency conversion and changing global economic, social and political conditions;  
the Company's ability to compete lawfully with local competitors in the Asia/Pacific region;  
aggressive global regulation of hazardous materials could affect sales of our products;  
costs of compliance with stringent environmental, health, and safety regulations;  
access to capital markets or borrowings;  
variable interest rates on some of our external borrowings could increase;  
encumbrances on the Company's assets granted to lenders affect our flexibility to dispose of assets;  
restrictive covenants in our credit facilities could affect our flexibility in funding strategic initiatives;  
the Company's ability to utilize significant deferred tax assets;  
the outcome of any legal claims against the Company;  
the Company's ability to continuously introduce new products to respond to demand;  
the uncertainty of future employee benefit costs and the impact of funding of those costs; and  
risks associated with acts of God, terrorists, and others, as well as fires, explosions, wars, riots, accidents, embargos, natural disasters, strikes and other work stoppages, quarantines and other governmental actions, and other events or circumstances that are beyond the Company's reasonable control.  
Additional information regarding these risk factors can be found in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2006. This release contains time-sensitive information that reflects management's best analysis only as of the date of this release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future events, information or circumstances that arise after the date of this release. 
 
Source: Ferro Corporation 
 
CLEVELAND & CASTELLON, Spain -- Ferro Corporation has commissioned its new tile color plant in Castellon, Spain, just a year after breaking ground on its sprawling campus in this southern Spain city. The plant includes approximately 12,000 square meters (approx. 129,000 square feet) for production, quality control and supporting laboratory facilities. It includes state-of-the-art material handling and production technologies that increase manufacturing efficiency and that optimize the quality and consistency of Ferro's glaze and body stain product lines sold to the growing European tile market. 
 
"We began producing and shipping color this week - a month ahead of schedule," said Michael J. Murry, Vice President, Inorganic Specialties. "We're ramping up to reach annual production capacity of over 20,000 metric tons of color products." 
 
Julio Garcia, European Business Manager for Ferro Tile Coating Systems, said, "Ferro has produced color products in Castellon for 42 years. This major investment enables us to build on our position as a valued supplier and technical advisor to our customers. We are very excited by the opportunity to carry on Ferro's long-standing tradition of excellence in serving our customers throughout Europe and the world." In addition to colors, other facilities at Ferro's Castellon site produce a range of products used by leading ceramic tile manufacturers. 
 
About Ferro Corporation 
 
Ferro Corporation is a leading global supplier of technology-based performance materials for manufacturers. Ferro materials enhance the performance of products in a variety of end markets, including electronics, telecommunications, solar energy, pharmaceuticals, building and renovation, appliances, automotive, household furnishings, and industrial products. Founded in 1919 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the Company has approximately 6,700 employees globally and reported 2006 sales of $2.0 billion. 
 
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements 
 
Certain statements in this Ferro press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Federal securities laws. These statements are subject to a variety of uncertainties, unknown risks and other factors concerning the Company's operations and business environment, which are difficult to predict and often beyond the control of the Company. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by these forward-looking statements, and that could adversely affect the Company's future financial performance, include, but are not limited to the following: 
 
the availability and cost of raw materials and other supplies;  
intense competition in the markets the Company serves;  
successful execution of projects designed to improve operating margins;  
successful execution of restructuring programs to improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce costs;  
the unpredictability and cyclicality of demand in the Company's markets;  
exposure to currency conversion and changing global economic, social and political conditions;  
the Company's ability to compete lawfully with local competitors in the Asia/Pacific region;  
aggressive global regulation of hazardous materials could affect sales of our products;  
costs of compliance with stringent environmental, health, and safety regulations;  
access to capital markets or borrowings;  
variable interest rates on some of our external borrowings could increase;  
encumbrances on the Company's assets granted to lenders affect our flexibility to dispose of assets;  
restrictive covenants in our credit facilities could affect our flexibility in funding strategic initiatives;  
the Company's ability to utilize significant deferred tax assets;  
the outcome of any legal claims against the Company;  
the Company's ability to continuously introduce new products to respond to demand;  
the uncertainty of future employee benefit costs and the impact of funding of those costs; and  
risks associated with acts of God, terrorists, and others, as well as fires, explosions, wars, riots, accidents, embargos, natural disasters, strikes and other work stoppages, quarantines and other governmental actions, and other events or circumstances that are beyond the Company's reasonable control.  
Additional information regarding these risk factors can be found in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2006. This release contains time-sensitive information that reflects management's best analysis only as of the date of this release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future events, information or circumstances that arise after the date of this release. 
 
Source: Ferro Corporation