ATMI Acquires Full Control of SDS Rights

ATMI, Inc. ATMI today announced it has taken control of, and responsibility for, worldwide distribution of ATMI's proprietary Safe Delivery Source, or SDS®, gas storage and delivery system and related technologies from Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc. The two companies have signed an agreement that terminates Matheson's license, manufacturing, and distribution agreement in exchange for a $95 million cash payment. "SDS technology has delivered tremendous efficiency improvements to the ion implantation process in the semiconductor industry," said Doug Neugold, ATMI's Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President. "ATMI and Matheson worked effectively to develop the product and application to the benefit of customers worldwide. Both parties agree that now is the right time to change our relationship." Neugold continued, "With this agreement, we are assuming responsibility for all aspects of the product, including manufacturing, distribution, logistics, and — most critically — the direct sales interface with customers. Bringing this product and future ion implantation technologies directly to customers through ATMI's applications and global customer support teams will allow us to deliver the best product and service to them as they work to solve ever more complex process problems. We also are pleased to announce that Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, Matheson's parent entity, has agreed to continue as ATMI's distributor of the SDS product line in Japan. Also, Matheson will continue to manufacture a portion of the SDS products for up to two years and will provide distribution and logistics services to ATMI during a transitional period."