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[July 2006]
Ceradyne's 5-Year Ceramic Armour Deal Potentially Worth Over $600 Million
Ceradyne Inc (Costa Mesa, CA, USA) has received a new 60-month Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) government contract for Enhanced Side Ballistic Inserts (ESBI) with a maximum value of US$611.7 million.
Simultaneously, the company received an initial delivery order for US$59.8 million scheduled to be shipped from July 2006 to November 2006. The contract was awarded to Ceradyne by the U.S. Army, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA.
David Reed, Ceradyne President of North American operations, commented: "We are very pleased that the government's high level of confidence in Ceradyne has resulted in this major win for us. Over the past few years, we have expanded our capacity for state-of-the-art lightweight ceramic body armor here in Costa Mesa, California, and our new Lexington, Kentucky, facility. We are confident we will meet the Army's quality and delivery requirements.
"In addition, this new multi-year contract provides visibility for potential future revenue. Furthermore, we believe we will receive our next delivery order under this contract late in 2006."
Reed noted: "Under an ID/IQ government-type contract, the government is obligated to purchase only certain minimum quantities. Each delivery order, such as this initial delivery order for $59.8 million, is issued as a release against a maximum amount, which for this ID/IQ contract is $611.7 million. Therefore, our projections of follow-on business under this contract depend upon anticipated receipt of additional releases or delivery orders.
"We have been manufacturing these ESBI side plates since January 2006 and continue to believe that our extensive research into the Ceradyne optimum design was a key factor in the decision to award Ceradyne this contract. And from a capacity perspective, the August 2004 acquisition of ESK Ceramics assures us a
supply of the finest boron carbide powders, which are the starting materials for Ceradyne's armor system technology. The combination of having these starting materials, in conjunction with our Kentucky and
California hot pressing plants, and our recently announced Irvine, California, assembly operation expansion, results in a vertically integrated manufacturing operation.
"Ceradyne is proud to have been awarded this contract and is confident that its armor systems, which will be fielded in large quantities, will save American lives."
www.ceradyne.com
ENDS