Release Details

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 2002--Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE: MTX) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Specialty Minerals Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., will construct a satellite precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) plant at Sipitang, Sabah, Malyasia at a paper mill owned by Sabah Forest Industries Sdn.Bhd (SFI).

The satellite PCC plant, which is expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2003, will produce filler-grade PCC for the paper mill and will be equivalent to one unit. A unit represents between 25,000 and 35,000 tons of PCC produced annually.

"We are extremely pleased to be selected by Sabah Forest Industries to construct a satellite PCC plant that will provide our PCC technology at their mill in Malaysia," said Paul R. Saueracker, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Minerals Technologies. "We look forward to a long and rewarding relationship with this excellent paper company."

Sabah Forest Industries, which began commercial production in 1988, is the first integrated pulp and paper complex in Malaysia. The company's pulp and paper mill, which produces 150,000 metric tons of printing and writing papers annually, is located on the western side island of Borneo in Sipitang, a coastal town about 168 kilometers from the State Capital--Kota Kinabalu.

PCC is a specialty pigment for filling and coating high-quality paper. By substituting PCC for more expensive wood fiber and for other more expensive pigments, the paper industry is able to produce higher quality paper at lower cost. Minerals Technologies originated the satellite concept for making and delivering PCC on-site at paper mills. This concept has been a major factor in revolutionizing papermaking from an acid to an alkaline-based technology. Minerals Technologies constructed its first PCC satellite plant in 1986. Today, the company has 55 satellite plants in operation or under construction around the world.

Minerals Technologies Inc. is a global resource- and technology-based growth company that develops and produces performance enhancing mineral, mineral-based and synthetic mineral products for the paper, steel, polymer and other manufacturing industries. The company reported net sales of $684.4 million in 2001.

For further information about Minerals Technologies Inc. look on the Internet at www.mineralstech.com

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