BDA advises Cookson on divestment of semiconductor encapsulation materials business to Panasonic

Business Development Asia LLC (“BDA”) is pleased to announce that its client, The Cookson Group plc, has agreed to divest its semiconductor encapsulation materials business to Panasonic Electric Works Electronic Materials Singapore Pte. Ltd, a newly established subsidiary of Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd., for an undisclosed consideration. Completion of the transaction is scheduled for December 2010.

BDA acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Cookson on the transaction.

BDA Transaction Team:
Charles Maynard, Senior Managing Director, New York
Jeff Acton, Managing Director, Tokyo
Paul DiGiacomo, Managing Director, Hong Kong
Noriyuki Sonoda, Senior Advisor, Tokyo
Toshi Yokohara, Associate, Tokyo
Jordan Selleck, Analyst, New York

About The Cookson Group plc
Cookson Group plc is a materials science company that provides materials, processes and services to customers worldwide. The Company operates in three divisions: Ceramics, Electronics and Precious Metals. Trading under the Vesuvius and Foseco brand names, the Ceramics division is engaged in the supply of advanced consumable products and systems to the steel and foundry industries and a supplier of specialist ceramic products to the glass and solar industries. The Electronics division is a supplier of consumable electronic assembly materials to assemblers of printed circuit board (PCBs) and the semi-conductor packaging industry and advanced surface treatment and electro-plating chemicals to the electronics industry and for industrial and automotive applications. The Precious Metals division is a supplier of fabricated precious metals (primarily gold, silver and platinum) to the jewelry industry in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Europe. For further information about The Cookson Group plc and its businesses, please visit www.cooksongroup.co.uk

About Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
Panasonic Electric Works is a Japan-based manufacturing company with a market capitalization of US$9.9bn and is 82% owned by Panasonic Corporation. The company operates six business segments.  Its Electronic Materials segment offers printed wiring materials, semiconductor encapsulating materials and plastic forming materials.

About Business Development Asia
Business Development Asia LLC (“BDA”) assists multinational corporate and financial sector clients to identify and execute acquisitions, divestments, JVs, restructuring and capital raising, in Asia and internationally. The company is headquartered in New York with offices in London, Bahrain, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, and Tokyo. BDA employs 50 full-time professional staff across its eight offices, supplemented by a team of senior advisors around the world. BDA’s clients include Areva, AXA Private Equity, Celestica, Clariant, Dai Nippon Ink and Chemicals, Ecolab, Hercules, Kennametal, Molex, Nalco, Pfizer, Rexel, Reuters, Ryder, SigmaKalon, Sun Chemical, Tredegar, WestLB, the Weir Group and the British Government.  Further information on BDA is available at www.bdapartners.com
For more information regarding this transaction, please contact Charles Maynard in New York at +1-212-265-5300 or Jeff Acton in Tokyo at +81-3-3433-5803