A. Schulman Announces Joint Venture With National Petrochemical Industrial Company to Produce Polypropylene Compounds In Saudi Arabia

A. Schulman (Nasdaq: SHLM) announced today that it has entered into a joint venture agreement with National Petrochemical Industrial Company (NATPET) of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a subsidiary of Alujain Corporation, a Saudi Stock Exchange listed company.The 50-50 joint venture, expected to be named NATPET-Schulman Engineering Plastic Compounds, will produce and globally sell polypropylene compounds. The joint venture is planning to build a polypropylene compounding plant in Yanbu, KSA, where it expects to begin production by the end of calendar-year 2014. A. Schulman's initial equity investment in the relationship is approximately €11 million, or approximately $14 million. Initial project costs, including construction of the facility, infrastructure needs as well as working capital requirements are approximately €55 million, or approximately $70 million based on current exchange rates. Beyond the initial equity investment by the partners, the joint venture intends to take advantage of various low-interest loan options provided by the Saudi Industrial Development Fund and other lending institutions.