DuPont Leader: Global Productivity Gains and Sales Growth Remain Strong

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Sep 30, 2010, 10:05 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- DuPont (NYSE: DD) Executive Vice President Jeffrey L. Keefer told analysts at the Oppenheimer 5th Annual Industrials Conference today that the company continues to achieve strong productivity gains and expects $600 million in savings between fixed-cost productivity and restructuring benefits in 2010. Keefer also said DuPont remains well-positioned for continued global growth, with about 60 percent of sales coming from outside the United States the first half of 2010 and emerging markets sales up 32 percent compared to the first half of 2009.

Keefer said DuPont's fixed-cost and working capital productivity each delivered $1 billion in 2009. He indicated these ongoing efforts are expected to generate an additional $1 billion each in productivity gains through 2012.

"Our productivity improvements and disciplined cost management are real, sustainable, and will help deliver future growth and profitability," Keefer said.

Keefer explained that the company will achieve additional productivity gains using DuPont Integrated Business Management, which analyzes the business supply chain to maximize efficiency in working capital; DuPont Production System, which improves operations to gain fixed cost productivity benefits in manufacturing sites; and Six Sigma processes, which help improve and streamline functions across the company.

"Market-driven science, innovation and cost management will continue to drive our success, especially as we tackle the global megatrends related to food, energy, safety and protection and emerging markets growth," said Keefer.

DuPont (www.dupont.com) is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 90 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.

Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the company's strategy for growth, product development, market position, expected expenditures and financial results are forward-looking statements. Some of the forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "intends," "projects," "indicates," and similar expressions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors, including those discussed more fully elsewhere in this release and in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by DuPont, particularly its latest annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q, as well as others, could cause results to differ materially from those stated. These factors include, but are not limited to changes in the laws, regulations, policies and economic conditions, including inflation, interest and foreign currency exchange rates, of countries in which the company does business; competitive pressures; successful integration of structural changes, including restructuring plans, acquisitions, divestitures and alliances; cost of raw materials, research and development of new products, including regulatory approval and market acceptance; seasonality of sales of agricultural products; and severe weather events that cause business interruptions, including plant and power outages, or disruptions in supplier and customer operations. The company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements as a result of future developments or new information.

SOURCE DuPont