GAS CYLINDERS TO RESTRUCTURE OPERATIONS

8 January 2008

LUXFER GAS CYLINDERS TO RESTRUCTURE MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS IN US AND UK

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (Jan. 8, 2008)  Luxfer Gas Cylinders announced today that it will restructure its cylinder manufacturing operations in the US and UK in 2008. Facilities in Riverside, Calif.; Huntington Beach, Calif.; Graham, N.C.; and Nottingham, England, will be involved.

 In Riverside, Luxfer currently operates an aluminum cylinder plant and service center in the same large factory, as well as two composite cylinder operations in separate facilities. The company also manufactures aluminum liners for composite cylinders in Huntington Beach at its Hydrospin unit.

As part of the phased restructuring, Luxfer will move all aluminum cylinder manufacturing from Riverside to its plants in North Carolina and England and then consolidate its two US composite cylinder plants into the same large factory in Riverside that had previously made aluminum cylinders. Large-diameter composite liner manufacturing operations will also be moved from Huntington Beach into the single Riverside facility; small-diameter aluminum liner operations will remain in Huntington Beach. Service Center operations will cease.

As operations are consolidated, some 140 jobs will be eliminated, primarily in Riverside. Luxfer expects to complete phased restructuring activities by September 2008.

“This comprehensive restructuring is the result of a detailed analysis of ways to improve our manufacturing practices and to make best use of our global facilities,” said John Rhodes, President of Luxfer Gas Cylinders. “These actions will not only make our aluminum cylinder manufacturing operations around the world more effective, they will increase the efficiency of our composite cylinder operations in the United States.” Rhodes said that a detailed plan is in place to facilitate a smooth transition and prevent disruption of service to customers around the world.

In addition to its plants in California, North Carolina and England, Luxfer Gas Cylinders operates aluminum and composite cylinder facilities in Gerzat, France, and a composite cylinder factory in Shanghai, China. The world’s largest manufacturer of high-pressure aluminum and composite cylinders, Luxfer Gas Cylinders is part of the worldwide Luxfer Group of companies.

For more information about Luxfer Gas Cylinders and its products, visit www.luxfercylinders.com.