Solutia Celebrates Production, Sales Milestone From New Saflex(R) Manufacturing Line...

Solutia Celebrates Production, Sales Milestone From New Saflex(R)
Manufacturing Line in Ghent, Belgium
Completed Expansion Project Highlights Saflex Global Investment Program; New
Resin Capacity Focuses Upon USA, Belgium

ST. LOUIS and DUSSELDORF, Germany, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today
at the Glasstec 2008 exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany, the Saflex(R) unit of
Solutia Inc. (NYSE: SOA), announced that one million square meters of Saflex
polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayers have been produced and shipped for
commercial sale from the recently completed Third Extrusion Line (TEL) located
at its plant in Ghent, Belgium. This start-up marks a significant milestone
for the business, which has been focusing on improved regional capability and
service levels over the past several years. Solutia will host a Grand Opening
celebration for customers at the Ghent plant on Saturday, October 25.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081023/AQTH012LOGO)
As a result of this expansion, the Saflex Ghent plant is the world's
largest PVB sheet extrusion facility. The additional 40 million square meter
capacity gained from the completed expansion continues to position Saflex as a
key supplier to architectural glass laminators in Europe. The new line also
will provide the Saflex business with greater flexibility in how it operates
its plants worldwide. In addition, the Ghent facility is the only producer of
the new Saflex Magnum(TM) roll -- which can measure 3.2 or 3.3 meters wide by
800 meters in length, driving a new industry standard. The new size will
increase yields and drive performance improvements for European customers.
"We continue to invest across our Saflex business in order to meet the
growing demands of our customers worldwide," said Luc De Temmerman, president
of Solutia's Saflex unit. "This project is a key part of our global growth
strategy for the Saflex business. By opening our third manufacturing line at
Ghent, we are taking a key step forward in our strategy to optimize our
production on a global scale in order to provide the highest degree of skill,
scale and speed to our customers."
The new manufacturing line was designed within the current boundaries of
the Saflex Ghent plant, leveraging existing infrastructure and the plant's
40-plus years of experience in manufacturing Saflex products. In addition,
the new line employs the latest technology, enabling the production process to
be highly automated.
"Our customers recognize the Ghent plant as a proven supplier of the
world's premier PVB interlayers," said Dirk Duquet, vice president of
manufacturing for the Saflex business, "and this expansion will enable us to
very efficiently take that tradition of quality to an even greater scale."
Saflex is also in the process of adding 12,000 metric tons of PVB resin
capacity at its Indian Orchard site in Springfield, Mass., USA, and will add a
further 15,000 metric tons in Antwerp, Belgium by mid-2010.
Saflex is the global leader in PVB production, innovation, quality and
reliability. When laminated between layers of glass, PVB interlayers greatly
enhance the performance characteristics of glass, providing benefits such as
security, solar protection, sound attenuation and safety. Laminated glass
made with Saflex PVB is used extensively in both the automotive and
architectural markets, and is now used to encapsulate the world's largest thin
film photovoltaic modules. For more information, please visit:
http://www.saflex.com.
NOTES TO EDITOR:
Saflex is a registered trademark of Solutia Inc.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which can be
identified by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will,"
"intends," "plans," "estimates" or "anticipates," or other comparable
terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. These
statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions
about the industries in which Solutia operates. Forward-looking statements
are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to significant risks
and uncertainties that may cause actual results or achievements to be
materially different from the future results or achievements expressed or
implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties
include, but are not limited to, those risk and uncertainties described in
Solutia's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including under "Cautionary
Statement About Forward Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors", and Solutia's
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These reports can be accessed through the
"Investors" section of Solutia's website at http://www.solutia.com. Solutia
disclaims any intent or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements in response to new information, unforeseen events, changed
circumstances or any other occurrence.
About Solutia Inc.
Solutia is a market-leading performance materials and specialty chemicals
company. The company focuses on providing solutions for a better life through
a range of products, including: Saflex(R) interlayer for laminated glass;
CPFilms(R) aftermarket window films sold under the LLumar(R) brand and others;
high-performance nylon polymers and fibers sold under brands such as Vydyne(R)
and Wear-Dated(R); and technical specialties including the Flexsys(R) family
of chemicals for the rubber industry, Skydrol(R) aviation hydraulic fluid and
Therminol(R) heat transfer fluid. Solutia's businesses are world leaders in
each of their market segments. With its headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri,
USA, the company operates globally with approximately 6,000 employees in more
than 60 locations. More information is available at http://www.Solutia.com.
SOURCE Solutia Inc.

Media, Dan Jenkins, U.S., +1-314-674-8552, or Nathalie Chaimbault, Europe, +31
164 317 035, or Investors, Susannah Livingston, +1-314-674-8914, all for
Solutia Inc.