3 September 2001
Union Minière has changed its name to Umicore

On Monday 3 September 2001, the shareholders of Union Minière, following the advice of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, decided to change the name of the company to UMICORE. This change of name come into force with immediate effect.

For some time already the UM management had thought that the company had outgrown hte name Union Minière because it no longer reflected Group's activities. In view of this, the management had a research bureau conduct a survey about the company's name and image in the period September-November 2000.

This study showed that no less than 82 % of interviewees in Belgium knew Union Minière by name but that only 14 % were able to list (some of) the company's activities. In particular, the general public was unaware that the company produces innovative products. On the other hand, the aspects of a very traditional company still prevailed.

Accordingly, at the beginning of 2000 the company's management decided to launch a far-reaching communication campaign vis-à-vis the shareholders and the general public, including a change of name.

On 22 May 2001 the executive committee decided to submit the Umicore proposal to the meeting of the Board of Directors on 13 June 2001. The Extraordinary General Shareholder's Meeting accepted the proposal at its meeting of 3 September by a very large majority.

The first part of the name Umicore refers to the company's historical roots, while the second part refers to the core. Indeed, the Group's metals and engineered materials form the core of a whole range of products which are essential to daily life or to a series of state-of-the-art applications, in line with the company's mission statement, which is summed up in the company's mission to produce "materials for a better life".
This refers to the Group's commitment to sustainable development and specifically to developing products and industrial processes, which are as environmentally friendly as possible. In this context, it is noteworthy that out of all the major metal producers in the world Umicore is probably the most advanced in the field of recycling.

Investor Relations: Mrs Isabelle MICHOTTE - Tel. +32 2 227 71 47 - isabelle.michotte@umicore.com

PROFILE

Umicore is the new name Union Minière adopted on 3 September 2001.

Umicore is an international metals and materials group, which strives to obtain leadership positions in selected markets. Its activities are centred on 3 business groups: Advanced Materials, Copper & Precious Metals and Zinc. To ensure a rapid response to the market, each business group is divided into several business units and business lines.

The Umicore Group has industrial operations on all continents and serves a global customer base through an international sales network with offices in more than 25 countries.

The underlying principles of Umicore's strategy across the various business groups are a commitment to technological innovation, operational excellence, recycling and environmental responsibility.

The Group generated a turnover of EUR 3.8 billion in 2000. Umicore currently employs some 8,000 people.