Darex is Part of Planned Grace Spin-Off Company, GCP Applied Technologies Inc.

COLUMBIA, Md., Jan. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- W. R. Grace & Co. (NYSE:GRA) announced today that Laurie Andriate has been named President, Darex Packaging Technologies (Darex), which is part of GCP Applied Technologies Inc. (GCP), the public company to be formed by the planned spin-off in early 2016 of Grace’s Construction Products segment and its Darex business.

Darex is a leading global supplier of can sealants, closure sealants, can coatings, and closure coatings to the packaged food and beverage industry. Darex products are used for consumer and industrial applications to protect the integrity of packaged products, including a portfolio of non-BPA can coatings. Darex produces sealants for three of every four cans worldwide. 

Andriate joined Grace in 2006 as Vice President, Marketing for the Darex and Construction Products businesses. In 2011, she was named Vice President and General Manager of the company’s Discovery Sciences business. In 2014, she assumed leadership of the Engineered Materials business as Vice President and General Manager. Prior to joining Grace, she held senior positions at BASF and Eastman Chemical.

"Laurie has a strong track record in leading and strengthening collaboration and product development partnerships with our key customers," said Gregory E. Poling, GCP's designated President and Chief Executive Officer. "She has proven her ability to lead the development of new technologies and create new value for our customers. We're delighted that Laurie is joining GCP Applied Technologies."

GCP Applied Technologies will have customers in more than 110 countries, operations on six continents, and a team of 2,850 employees. Through applied knowledge and service excellence, GCP Applied Technologies will provide premier specialty construction chemicals and specialty building materials for many of the world’s most renowned structures, and packaging technologies for the best-known consumer brands.

About Grace

Built on talent, technology, and trust, Grace is a leading global supplier of catalysts; engineered and packaging materials; and specialty construction chemicals and building materials. The company’s three industry-leading business segments—Grace Catalysts Technologies, Grace Materials Technologies, and Grace Construction Products—provide innovative products, technologies, and services that improve the products and processes of customer partners in over 155 countries around the world. Grace’s 2014 net sales were $3.2 billion. More information about Grace is available at grace.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements, that is, information related to future, not past, events. Such statements generally include the words “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “targets,” “will,” “expects,” “suggests,” “anticipates,” “outlook,” “continues” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, expected financial positions; results of operations; cash flows; financing plans; business strategy; operating plans; capital and other expenditures; competitive positions; growth opportunities for existing products; benefits from new technology and cost reduction initiatives, plans and objectives; and markets for securities. For these statements, Grace and the Company claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Like other businesses, GCP is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause its actual results to differ materially from its projections or that could cause other forward-looking statements to prove incorrect. Factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation, risks related to: the cyclical and seasonal nature of the industries GCP serves; the effectiveness of GCP's research and development and new product introductions; the cost and availability of raw materials and energy; foreign operations, especially in emerging regions; changes in currency exchange rates; developments affecting the Company’s outstanding liquidity and indebtedness, including debt covenants and interest rate exposure; developments affecting the Company’s funded and unfunded pension obligations; acquisitions and divestitures of assets and gains and losses from dispositions; warranty and product liability claims; hazardous materials and costs of environmental compliance; the separation, such as: uncertainties that may delay or negatively impact the separation and distribution or cause the separation and distribution to not occur at all, the Company’s lack of history as a public company and the costs of the separation, the Company’s ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the separation and distribution, and the value of GCP common stock following the separation; and those additional factors set forth in this news release and W. R. Grace & Co.’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are readily available on the Internet at www.sec.gov.

Media Relations
Rich Badmington
T +1 410.531.4370
rich.badmington@grace.com

Investor Relations
Tania Almond
T +1 410.531.4590
tania.almond@grace.com