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DuPont News, April 23, 2008

First Quarter 2008 Business Segment Performance

Following are business segment highlights comparing first quarter 2008 results to first quarter 2007.

Agriculture & Nutrition

 

  • Sales increased USD 433 million, or 18 percent, to USD 2.9 billion, reflecting strong global demand favoring seed technology and crop protection products.

 

  • PTOI increased 21 percent to USD 786 million, reflecting increased sales of higher value products net of planned growth investments and higher input costs.  

 

Coatings & Color Technologies

  • Sales increased 6 percent to USD 1.6 billion as weakness in North American motor vehicle and construction markets was more than offset by higher USD selling price outside North America.

 

  • PTOI was USD 190 million compared with USD 194 million in the prior-year quarter.   PTOI reflects pricing gains in refinish and industrial coatings and benefits from cost productivity and currency.  These gains were offset by lower volumes and the absence of a prior-year quarter USD 16 million hurricane-related insurance recovery.

 

Electronic & Communication Technologies

  • Sales grew 12 percent to USD 1.0 billion and PTOI increased 41 percent to USD 175 million, reflecting strong demand for refrigerants and photovoltaic products.

 

Performance Materials

  • Sales grew 8 percent to USD 1.7 billion from continued strength in Asian and European automotive and packaging materials markets.

 

  • PTOI increased 46 percent to USD 219 million in the quarter.  Excluding a USD 52 million significant item charge in the prior year, PTOI increased 8 percent.  Sales improvement was partially offset by higher cost ingredients and costs associated with manufacturing process consolidations.

 

Safety & Protection

  • Sales were USD 1.4 billion, equal to the prior-year quarter.  Excluding the impact of a chemical business divestiture, sales grew 4 percent.  The impact of positive USD pricing and growth in emerging markets was largely offset by lower volumes in U.S. construction markets.

 

  • PTOI was USD 272 million, down 7 percent reflecting lower volume, higher costs associated with growth investments and the impact of a divested business.

 

Additional information on segment performance is available on the DuPont Investor Center website at www.dupont.com.