EXHIBIT 10.8 BORATES SUPPLY AGREEMENT BETWEEN OWENS CORNING AND ADVANCED GLASSFIBER YARNS LLC DATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1998 BORATES SUPPLY AGREEMENT This Borates Supply Agreement (the "Agreement") is executed on this 30th day of --------- September, 1998, by and between OWENS CORNING, a Delaware corporation ("Seller"), and ADVANCED GLASSFIBER YARNS LLC, a Delaware limited liability ------ company ("Buyer"), and shall be governed by the following clauses. ----- WHEREAS, Seller has entered into an Agreement (the "Etibank Agreement") dated January 1, 1998, by and between Etibank and Seller under which Etibank has agreed to mine, process, sell and deliver * and * (collectively, "Products") to Seller; and WHEREAS, Buyer requires certain Borate Products for use in its own production facilities. NOW, THEREFORE, Seller and Buyer agree as follows: 1. SALE AND PURCHASE OF PRODUCTS. ----------------------------- 1.1. THE PRODUCTS. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, ------------ Seller agrees to sell, and Buyer agrees to purchase and accept its requirements for the Products. The Products and the specifications for the Products (the "Product Specifications") are more fully ---------------------- described in Exhibit A attached hereto and made a part hereof. Buyer agrees that it is purchasing the Products solely for its own use in its own facilities and that it will not resell the Products to any third party. 1.2. NATURE OF OBLIGATION. In the event that Seller is unable purchase or -------------------- obtain sufficient quantities of one or more Products for Owens Corning and Buyer for any reason including but not limited to a Force Majeure Event (as defined in paragraph 11 of this Agreement), the unavailability or insufficient availability of one or more Products, termination of the Etibank Agreement (by either party thereto, with or without cause), unsatisfactory quality of one or more Products, failure to perform by any person or party other than Seller with respect to the sale, delivery, shipping or storage of one or more Products, then, subject to the next succeeding sentence, Seller shall have no obligation under this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, should Seller decide to sever its supply arrangement with Etibank for any reason, Seller can terminate this Agreement at any time, provided that it has given Buyer 180 days' written notice prior to the termination of the arrangement with Etibank. In the event that Etibank will not allow Seller to resell the Products to Buyer or if Etibank establishes a marketing arrangement in North America prohibiting Seller to resell the Products to Buyer, - ----------- * Omitted pursuant to a request for confidential treatment. The omitted portions have been separately filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. then Seller can terminate this Agreement. If Seller continues to purchase the Products from any other supplier or Etibank, Seller agrees to continue to supply the Products to Buyer under this Agreement. 1.3. Buyer agrees that Buyer will not, except in case Seller cannot provide sufficient amount of the Products exceeding the Maximum Volume and with the express written consent of Seller, purchase or accept the Products from or approach any third party or Etibank. 1.4. Buyer acknowledges and agrees that Seller, at its sole discretion, may request Buyer to purchase the Products from ABC, Inc. ("ABC"), Seller's sole distributor for the Products, provided ABC accepts the pricing for the Products as provided in Section 4. 2. TERM; CONTRACT YEAR. ------------------- 2.1. TERM. This Agreement shall be effective as of the date of execution ---- and, unless earlier terminated as provided herein, shall continue in full force and effect for the period of seven years and three months through and including December 31, 2005. This Agreement shall be automatically renewed for a period equal to any renewal or extension of the term of the Etibank Agreement unless terminated by either party upon 90 days' prior written notice. The initial term, together with all renewal periods thereof, is referred to hereinafter as the "Term". ---- 2.2. CONTRACT YEAR. For purposes of this Agreement, each of the following ------------- periods is a "Contract Year". ------------- 2.2.1 FIRST CONTRACT YEAR. The first Contract Year shall be the ------------------- period from the date hereof until December 31, 1998; and 2.2.2 SUBSEQUENT CONTRACT YEARS. Subsequent Contract Years shall be ------------------------- each successive twelve month period beginning January 1 and ending December 31 during the Term of the Agreement. 3. ESTIMATES; RELEASES; DELIVERY. ----------------------------- 3.1. BUYER'S CONTRACT YEAR ESTIMATES. Within 30 days of the execution of ------------------------------- this Agreement and, on or before September 30 of each Contract Year thereafter during the Term of this Agreement, Buyer shall provide Seller with Buyer's good-faith estimates of Buyer's requirements for the Products, by type, and by calendar quarter, for the next succeeding Contract Year (the "Contract Year Estimates"). Such ----------------------- Contract Year Estimates shall be subject to the conditions set forth in 2 paragraph 1.2 of this Agreement. The aggregate quantity of the Products set forth in the Contract Year Estimates shall be the maximum quantities of the Products that Seller is obligated to sell and deliver to Buyer during the relevant Contract Year and shall be the minimum quantities of Products that Buyer is obligated to purchase during the relevant Contract Year. In addition, Seller is not required to sell and deliver to Buyer more than ten percent (10%) of the Contract Year Estimates in any given month. 3.2. MAXIMUM VOLUME. Buyer agrees to purchase and Seller agrees to sell a -------------- maximum quantity of 9,289 tons of * and 7,253 tons of * ("Maximum Volume"). This maximum volume represents the average usage by Seller of * for the past three years. Buyer can elect to increase quantities of * and reduce equal quantities of * subject to availability. Seller agrees to supply Buyer on a basis of first available quantity. For any quantity exceeding Maximum Volume, Seller will supply Buyer only after Seller's own needs are satisfied. 3.3. SELLER'S ASSURANCES. If for any reason Seller believes it will be ------------------- unable to deliver all or any portion of Buyer's Contract Year Estimates or Refined Estimates, Seller shall immediately notify Buyer within ten (10) days of the date of receipt of Buyer's respective estimates. Such notification shall not relieve Seller of any of its obligations under this Agreement. 3.4. ORDERS FOR THE PRODUCTS/SHIPMENT. Orders for the Products shall be -------------------------------- made, at Buyer's discretion, by Buyer issuing signed purchase orders to Seller. The orders shall be submitted by authorized personnel of Buyer no later than 30 days' prior to the desired date of delivery and shall set forth the following: a statement identifying the order with this Agreement; the number by which the order shall be identified; the quantity of the Products to be delivered; the date of delivery; and invoicing instructions. Subject to the volume limitations set forth in paragraphs 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 there shall be no limitation on the number of orders issued hereunder. In the event Buyer places an order which would exceed its Contract Year Estimate or if Buyer requires a change in the quantity of more than 10%, type or delivery date of Products to meet customer requirements, Seller may, but is not obligated to, fill such order or make such changes. For these purposes, Seller shall notify Buyer in writing whether it will be able to fill any order which exceeds Buyer's Contract Year Estimate or which requires a change in the quantity, type or delivery date of Products within the 10 days following its receipt of such an order. 3.5. DELIVERY. All Products will be sold to Buyer FOB Kings Creek, South -------- Carolina. 3 4. PRICE FOR THE PRODUCTS. ---------------------- 4.1. The price for the Products sold will equal Seller's cost to purchase, transport, process and terminal the sold Products (the "Cost") including a fixed administrative charge of $150,000 to be paid pro- rata with Product deliveries. If Buyer purchases less than 50% of the Maximum Volume, the administrative charge will be reduced by 50%. Prices shall be in United States Dollars. Exhibit B provides a list of the typical cost items covered under the Cost 4.2. Buyer acknowledges and agrees that Seller will not provide Buyer a copy of the Etibank Agreement. Seller hereby agrees to provide Buyer with sufficient proof of the Cost and purchased quantity of the Products. 5. TITLE AND RISK OF LOSS. ---------------------- The Products sold pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered to Buyer as provided in paragraph 4, and title and risk of loss shall pass to Buyer at the time the Products leave Seller's processor's facility in Kings Creek, South Carolina. 6. TERMS OF PAYMENT. ---------------- Seller shall invoice Buyer with each delivery of the Products hereunder. Payment of each invoice shall be made by Buyer within 15 days from the date of Seller's invoice. Seller shall charge interest equal to the "base rate" of Citibank N.A. as announced from time to time plus 2.0% per annum beginning on the 16th day after the invoice date if not then paid in full. Remittance of interest under this section shall be made in full without any reduction for any withholding or other taxes. If withholding taxes or other taxes are applicable as prescribed under laws of the payor country, Buyer shall remit the withholding taxes or other taxes to the proper governmental agencies in such country on a timely basis and supply Seller with a withholding tax receipt or other evidence of payment as soon as legally possible. 7. TAXES, EXCISES AND OTHER CHARGES. -------------------------------- Except for such taxes which Seller is required by law to collect from Buyer, each party shall be responsible for payment of such taxes as such party is required to pay under applicable law, including local, state, federal or foreign law, and which are based upon or measured by the production, sale, profitability, transportation, delivery or use of the Products sold and delivered hereunder. Seller shall show VAT taxes, if applicable, separately on its invoice. 4 8. CHANGES, MODIFICATIONS OR SUBSTITUTIONS. --------------------------------------- Buyer understands and acknowledges that, although there is no obligation to do so, Etibank, from time to time, to improve the efficiency in the manufacture or use of the Products, may make changes to, modify or make improvements to the Products, or substitute newly designed products for the Products. If during the Term of this Agreement Seller shall propose to make changes, modifications or improvements to the Products or shall substitute newly designed products for any of the Products, Seller shall advise Buyer that the change, improvement, modification or substitution is contemplated. As soon as practicable thereafter, Seller shall provide Buyer samples of the proposed changed, modified, improved or substitute product in sufficient laboratory test quantity to enable Buyer to test and qualify such product in Buyer's manufacturing process. If Etibank commences commercial manufacture of the changed, modified, improved or substitute product and the product is qualified by Buyer, the product shall become a Product and the specifications shall become Product Specifications hereunder. 9. SELLER'S DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY. ------------------------------- BUYER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT ANY SALES MADE TO BUYER HEREUNDER ARE ON AN ACCOMMODATION BASIS AND SELLER MAKES NO OTHER REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCTS DELIVERED HEREUNDER, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR USE OR PURPOSE, EVEN IF DISCLOSED TO SELLER, AND SELLER HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY SUCH OTHER REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY. 10. LIMITED WARRANTY. ---------------- Seller warrants that the Products sold to Buyer shall be owned by Seller and shall be free and clear of all liens and encumbrances, and that Seller shall have complied with all applicable laws, regulations, ordinances and codes concerning the Products. However, Seller does not warrant that the Products, in fact, are of a type and quality desired or requested by Buyer, and Buyer's sole and exclusive remedy for defects in the Products shall be to request that Seller pursue a claim against Etibank or such other source, shipper or handler of the Products as may have caused any such defects, at Buyer's own expense. 5 11. FORCE MAJEURE. ------------- Neither party shall be liable to the other for delay or failure to perform in whole or in part, by reason of contingencies or events which: (i) are beyond the reasonable control of the party whose performance is affected, (ii) are unforeseeable, and (iii) could not have been reasonably prevented, whether herein specifically enumerated or not (a "Force Majeure Event"). These contingencies include, among others, act of God, act of war, revolution, riot, acts of public enemies, fire, explosion, breakdown of plant, strike, lockout, labor dispute, casualty or accident, earthquake, flood, cyclone, tornado, hurricane or other windstorm, or by reason of any law, order, proclamation, regulation, ordinance, demand, requisition or requirement or any other act of any governmental authority, foreign or domestic, local, state or federal (provided that the Force Majeure Event does not arise due to or is connected in any way with a violation by party hereto of any law, order, proclamation, regulation, ordinance, demand, requisition or requirement of any governmental authority) except that contingencies shall not include a downturn in Buyer's business or general economic downturn. A party so affected by a Force Majeure Event shall: (i) promptly give written notice to the other party whenever such contingency or other act becomes reasonably foreseeable (including an estimate of the expected duration of the Force Majeure Event and its probable impact on the performance of such party's obligations hereunder); (ii) exercise all reasonable efforts to continue to perform its obligations hereunder; (iii) use its commercially reasonable best efforts to overcome or mitigate the effects of the contingency as promptly as possible and (iv) promptly give written notice to the other party of the cessation of such contingency. Neither party, however, shall be required to resolve a strike, lockout or other labor problem in a manner which it alone does not deem proper and advisable. In no event shall any Force Majeure Event excuse party's failure to pay when due any monetary obligation hereunder. In the case of any Force Majeure Event relied on by Seller, Seller agrees that it shall treat Buyer no less favorably than the most favorably treated Affiliate or customer of Seller in dealing with or adjusting to the consequences of such Force Majeure Event and in relation to the allocation of any Products, the production or availability of which may have been interrupted or diminished. Deliveries of the Product omitted due to any Force Majeure Event affecting Seller or Buyer shall, without liability, reduce by an equivalent quantity the quantity of Products to be sold and delivered during the period in which the Force Majeure Event occurred. To determine the quantity of Products that would have been sold, the parties shall assume that Buyer's most recent Refined Estimates would have been purchased on a ratable basis. 12. DEFAULT. ------- Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Agreement, if either party fails to perform any of the terms of this Agreement, (a) the other party may defer its performance under this Agreement until the default is cured by the defaulting party, or (b) at its option, the party may treat such default as a breach of the entire Agreement and, if such default is not cured within 30 days after the giving of notice thereof to the defaulting party (or, in the case of default in payment of monies, within 10 business days), may immediately terminate this Agreement upon 6 notice to the defaulting party. This Agreement shall terminate automatically, without necessity of notice, in the event Buyer or Seller makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors generally, is adjudicated bankrupt or in the event of the filing of any voluntary or involuntary petition in bankruptcy against Buyer or Seller or the appointment of a receiver for Buyer or Seller or any substantial part of their respective properties. 13. APPLICABLE LAW. -------------- This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York applicable to a contract executed and performed in such State without giving effect to the conflicts of law principles thereof. 14. ENTIRE AGREEMENT. ---------------- This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement and understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior understandings, negotiations, and dealings between the parties hereto with respect to this subject matter. No agreement or understanding, oral or written, in any way purporting to modify the terms hereof shall be binding on either party hereto unless contained in a written document expressly referring to this Agreement and duly executed by both parties. There are no representations or warranties made by one party to the other except as expressly set forth in this Agreement. In case of a conflict between any of the terms of any purchase order of Buyer or any acknowledgment by Seller of the purchase order and any of the terms set forth in this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall control. No additional terms or conditions of sale other than those contained in this Agreement shall be effective unless approved in writing by an authorized representative of Seller and Buyer. 15. SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS. ---------------------- This Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of both parties and their respective successors and assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, this Agreement shall not be assigned by either party hereto without the express prior written consent of the other party, and any attempted assignment, without such consents, shall be null and void. Notwithstanding any nonassignment provisions contained in this Section 15, Buyer, or any permitted assignee or transferee of Buyer, may assign or otherwise transfer some or all of its rights and/or obligations hereunder (i) to any entity or entities, or any assignee of such entity or entities, providing financing for the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or to any entity or entities providing to Buyer, Buyer's Affiliates, or to any such permitted assignee of Buyer, financing relating to the Business (collectively, the "Financing Sources"), (ii) to any Affiliate of 7 Buyer, provided that (x) such Affiliate shall agree with Seller and its permitted assignees or transferees, if any, in writing to assume the Buyer's obligations hereunder and (y) any such assignment to an Affiliate of the Buyer shall not relieve the Buyer from its obligations hereunder or (iii) to any entity to which Buyer, or any assignee or transferee of Buyer, assigns, sells, transfers or otherwise conveys (A) all or substantially all of the assets constituting the Business (a "Complete Assignment") or (B) all or substantially all of the assets constituting either the Aiken Facility, the Huntingdon Facility or the South Hill Facility (a "Partial Assignment"), provided that such acquiring entity agrees with and acknowledges in writing to Seller and its permitted assignees or transferees, if any, that this Agreement shall be binding upon and enforceable against such entity as though such acquiring entity were Buyer and that such entity shall perform all of Buyer's obligations hereunder. Notwithstanding any nonassignment provisions contained in this Section 15, Seller, or any permitted assignee or transferee of Seller, may assign or otherwise transfer some or all of its rights and/or obligations hereunder (i) to any Affiliate of Seller, provided that (x) such Affiliate shall agree with Buyer and its permitted assignees or transferees, if any, in writing to assume the Seller's obligations hereunder and (y) any such assignment to an Affiliate of the Seller shall not relieve the Seller from its obligations hereunder or (ii) to any entity to which Seller, or any assignee or transferee of Buyer, assigns, sells, transfers or otherwise conveys any portion of its business which owns, licenses, or uses Business Patents or Business Know How (as each is defined in the Patent and Know How License Agreement), provided that such acquiring entity agrees with and acknowledges in writing to Buyer and its permitted assignees or transferees, if any, that this Agreement shall be binding upon and enforceable against such entity as though such acquiring entity were Seller and that such entity shall perform all of Seller's obligations hereunder. To the extent that assignment and/or transfer of any of the rights, privileges, and/or obligations is permitted, this Agreement shall be binding on, and except as otherwise expressly provided, shall inure to the benefit of, the legal successors, assigns, or representatives of the parties. 16. NOTICES. ------- All communications provided for hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to be given when delivered in person or by private courier with receipt, when telefaxed and received, or three (3) days after being deposited in the United States mail, first-class, registered or certified, return receipt requested, with postage paid and, If to Buyer: Advanced Glassfiber Yarns LLC 2556 Wagener Road Aiken, South Carolina 29801 Fax: 803-643-1526 Attention: General Manager 8 With a copy to: AGY Holdings, Inc. c/o Glass Holdings Corp. 3802 Robert Porcher Way Greensboro, North Carolina 27410 Fax: 336-545-7715 Attention: President And to: Jefferson Holdings, Inc. One Owens Corning Parkway Toledo, Ohio 43659 Fax: 419-248-8445 Attention: Corporate Secretary If to OC: Owens Corning World Headquarters One Owens Corning Parkway Toledo, Ohio 43659 Fax: 419-248-7230 Attention: VP Sourcing: Dick Hottinger With a copy to: Owens Corning World Headquarters One Owens Corning Parkway Toledo, Ohio 43659 Fax: 419-248-1723 Attention: Law Department or to such other address as any such party shall designate by written notice to the other parties hereto. 17. MISCELLANEOUS. ------------- 17.1. PARAGRAPH HEADINGS; CONSTRUCTION. The paragraph headings contained -------------------------------- in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. This Agreement is a product of negotiation and shall not be construed against either party as the drafter. 17.2. SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Agreement shall be declared ------------ by any court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, void or unenforceable, all other provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected and shall remain in full force and effect. 9 17.3. AMENDMENT; WAIVER. This Agreement may be amended, supplemented or ----------------- otherwise modified only by a written instrument executed by the parties hereto. No waiver by either party of any of the provisions hereof shall be effective unless explicitly set forth in writing and executed by the party so waiving. The waiver by any party hereto of a breach of any provision of this Agreement shall not operate or be construed as a waiver of any subsequent breach. 17.4. SURVIVAL. The provisions of paragraphs 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 through 17 -------- of this Agreement shall survive any termination or expiration hereof. 17.5. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS. The parties are independent contractors, ----------------------- and this Agreement does not create a partnership or agency relationship between the parties, or any other relationship between the parties except as expressly set forth herein. Neither party has any right or authority to assume or incur any liability or obligation on behalf of the other party except to such extent as may expressly be set forth herein. 17.6. NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES. This Agreement is entered into solely ---------------------------- for the benefit of the parties hereto and no person other than the parties hereto, or their permitted successors and assigns, shall be entitled to exercise any right or enforce any obligation thereunder. 17.7. CONFIDENTIALITY. Each party shall maintain in confidence the terms -------------- of this Agreement except as may be otherwise required by law. 17.8. LANGUAGE. This Agreement is to be executed in the English language. -------- 17.9. PUBLICITY. Each of Buyer and Seller agrees not to use the name or --------- trademarks or logos of the other party or its divisions or affiliates in any publicity, packaging, marketing materials or other promotional activities or materials without the prior written consent of the other party. 17.10. CONSENT TO JURISDICTION. Each of the parties hereto, irrevocably ----------------------- submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York located in the borough of Manhattan in the City of New York, or if such court does not have jurisdiction, the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, for the purposes of any suit, action or other proceeding arising out of this Agreement or any transaction contemplated hereby. Each of the parties hereto, further agrees that service of any process, summons, notice or document by U.S. registered mail to such party's respective address set forth in paragraph 16 shall be effective service of process for any action, suit or proceeding in New York with respect to any matters to which it has submitted to jurisdiction as set forth above in the immediately preceding sentence. Each of the parties hereto, irrevocably and unconditionally waives any objections to the laying 10 of venue of any action, suit or proceeding arising out of this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in (a) the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York or (b) the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, and hereby further irrevocably and unconditionally waives and agrees not to plead or claim in any such court that any such action, suit or proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. 17.11. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each ------------ of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument. 11 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed by persons authorized to bind their respective companies as of the date first above written. OWENS CORNING By: /s/ Charles E. Dana ----------------------------- Name: Charles E. Dana Title: Vice President ADVANCED GLASSFIBER YARNS LLC By: /s/ Robert B. Fisher ----------------------------- Name: Robert B. Fisher Title: General Manager 12 EXHIBIT A PRODUCTS AND PRODUCTS SPECIFICATIONS See the list attached hereto. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] EXHIBIT B The Cost typically covers the following items: Cost Elements - ------------- Ore Ocean freight Agent fees Marine insurance Port charges Dispatching Cost - Turkey Dispatching Cost - United States Stevedore Temporary storage Rail Frt. to Kings Creek Rail Frt. to Aiken from Kings Creek Inventory Carry Cost Variable Items - -------------- Each lot has a different cost Cost varies by * content Cost varies by moisture content Cost varies by energy surcharges Cost varies by over time at port CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] GLASS BATCH RAW MATERIAL SPECIFICATION CHANGE RECOMMENDATIONS PURCHASE ACCEPTANCE STANDARD BEING CHANGED. * - ACTIVE DOCUMENT DATE: 01/08/98 -------- MATERIAL NAME: * - THIS CHANGE WILL AFFECT THE FOLLOWING PLANTS: Aiken COMMENTS: The PAS has been revised for new lot. Appendix A revised for * lot. THE REVISED SPECIFICATION IS ATTACHED - ------------------------- ------------------------- WRITTEN BY: J.P. Petreanu APPROVED BY: T. L. Wagner CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] * A. GUIDING PHILOSOPHY FOR MATERIAL PURCHASES ----------------------------------------- Owens Corning will enter into quality partnerships with key production material suppliers. The relationship is a special long-term commitment between Composites and its suppliers that will accomplish the following: (1) Provide a product and/or service which meets our fitness-for-use criteria. (2) Provide continuing increased value to Owens Corning. (3) Commit Owens Corning suppliers to use statistical process control principles in their manufacturing processes. Owens Corning and our suppliers are committed to sharing information that will aid in achieving continual improvements in the products and services supplied and in the Owens Corning processes in which they are used. This should result in lower manufacturing costs, less variable products and enhanced Owens Corning customer satisfaction through manufacturing stability. B. FITNESS-FOR-USE CRITERIA ------------------------ This document specified the fitness-for-use criteria the material must meet. Any shipment that does not conform to all these criteria shall not be shipped to an Owens Corning user-plant. C. PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS ----------------------- There are six sections of product characteristics, C1-C6. Each section has a specific fitness-for-use criteria. Sections C.2-C.6 are self- explanatory. However, Section C.1, the Chemical Composition section, is rather complex, so the following clarifications have been added: The oxide/elements are divided into one of two categories, either * or *. * are those which are known to require some particular attention on the part of the supplier to insure the specification is met. The attention may be tight control of mining or blending of mine ores or extra attention to some process variable. * are those which are known to generally stay within the specification and exhibit acceptable consistency due to the nature of the deposit and/or the process. They only require monitoring to show evidence that their conformance to the specification continues. The difference between * and * is the amount of attention paid by the supplier and the frequency of the testing required by CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] Owens Corning. However, Owens Corning reserves the right to reject material based on * or *. Based on the supplier's production planning, the material has calculable average values for all oxides/elements. The specification is based on the supplier continuing to operate his process such that these average values, or "Target Nominals" are maintained. For selected key oxides/elements (those listed in Section C 6.1), the upper and lower specification limits are defined by adding and subtracting * the maximum acceptable variation from the "Target Nominal" value. The other oxides/elements have a lower or upper specification limit based on Owens Corning's fitness-for-use criteria. This specification does NOT require that a moving average of individual shipment values equal the "Target Nominal". It is required that every shipment be within the specification limits. It is a goal that the variation of critical oxides/elements be reduced and that the shipment values approach random variation around the "Target Nominal". Additional explanations and requirements for the Chemical Composition are contained in Section C.6, "TECHNICAL NOTES". C.1 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION -------------------- PERCENT BY WEIGHT Oxide or Test Element Minimum Maximum Frequency ------- ------- ------- --------- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] C.2 PHYSICAL COMPOSITION -------------------- % of Original Sieve Weight Retained Test Frequency ----- --------------- -------------- * * * * * * * * * NOTE: Physical analysis must be performed according to * procedures using * sieves. C.3 CONTAMINATION ------------- The finished product may not contain any contaminants that are deleterious to the Owens Corning processes. Contamination, both organic and inorganic, including but not limited to * shall be avoided throughout the storage, processing, and rail or truck loading of the shipment. The ore deposit may contain trace amounts of * . As part of the qualification procedure. Owens Corning has measured the level of these contaminants * and determined it to be acceptable. Hereafter, the supplier is responsible for measuring the level of * contamination as new ore deposits are opened to insure the level has not changed. C.4 LABORATORY CERTIFICATION ------------------------ The chemical laboratory must be certified by Owens Corning per procedure *. Any change in analytical procedure requires re-certification. If the supplier does not employ a certified chemical laboratory, then he must submit a schedule by which his chemical laboratory will achieve certification. This schedule must be mutually agreed upon by the supplier and Owens Corning. C.5 SUPPLY OF TEST DATA ------------------- The supplier shall provide the following data to the Owens Corning user- plant on the per shipment basis. *, percent retained on the * and * sieves, and percent through the * sieve. Oxides and elements designated as "*" shall also be provided at the intervals listed in Section C.1. Data describing the Chemical and Physical Composition. Section C.1 and C.2 CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] respectively, shall be transmitted to the Owens Corning user-plant and received prior to unloading. In addition, complete chemistry of * and *, as described in Section C.1, will be provided to Batch & Melting COE, Granville, Ohio, for the last five (5) railcars of each lot and the first five (5) railcars of each lot. The "*" are to be obtained from the pre-shipment sample as defined in Section E (below) with the exception of *, and *, which will be supplied by the Analytical Services Laboratory of Owens Corning, based upon the loading composite for each shipment lot. The chemical analyses shall be generated by a laboratory that is certified by the Analytical Services Laboratory of Owens Corning as described in Section C.4. Control charts for * , as described in Section C.6.2, will be provided to Batch & Melting COE on a monthly basis. C.6 TECHNICAL NOTES --------------- 1. Should long-term production planning indicate a need to shift a target nominal, for instance, to optimize reserves or borate lot shipment changes, the supplier may propose a change in the specification limits for *. The supplier must then propose a target nominal value for the oxide(s), and any proposed change must meet the boundary limits beyond which no product is acceptable. The change must also meet the limit on allowed variation. Those limits are: Boundary Limit Maximum Range -------------- ------------- * * * The upper specification for the oxide shall be set as the new target nominal plus * of the maximum range. The lower specification limit shall be set as the target nominal minus * of the maximum range. If the proposed specification results in a violation of the boundary limit listed above, the Batch & Melting COE Laboratory in Granville, Ohio, must be informed immediately. The Batch & Melting COE must be consulted on any proposed change to the "Target Nominals" for * before the upper/lower specification limits are set. The new specification will take effect on a date mutually acceptable to the supplier and to Batch & Melting COE. 2. * is a critical process variable with respect to our manufacturing process and our finished glass product. The process capability for * must be established and control charts maintained. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] Any assignable causes which result in out-of-control incidents should be investigated and appropriate action taken. 3. Significant shifts in organic carbon of the finished product will impact the manufacturing process at the Owens Corning user-plant. The supplier must inform the Owens Corning user-plant when there is a change in fuel source within the supplier's manufacturing process. D. TEST METHODS ------------ The Supplier may use test methods at his discretion provided that they yield results which conform to *. Owens Corning test methods are documented in the "Manual of Procedures for Glass Control". E. PRESHIPMENT SAMPLING -------------------- For each shipment, the supplier shall obtain a representative sample of the material directly loaded for shipment or stored in the bin from which the shipment was loaded. A sample library must be maintained for a minimum period of 10 weeks. A representative sample is one which conforms to the principles of probability sampling and sample size selection as defined in ASTM Methods * and *. An example of such sampling can be found in ASTM Methods *. At requested frequency, a * gram minimum split of the representative sample shall be sent to the Owens Corning user-plant as soon as possible after loading. If a representative sample is currently unobtainable, the supplier shall investigate alternate methods of sampling. F. REJECTIONS ---------- Owens Corning reserves the right to reject upon receipt, and hold for vendor's disposal, any portion or all of the material furnished under this specification which does not conform to all of the requirements set forth herein. Rejection of out-of-specification material will be based solely on Owens Corning chemical and physical evaluation. Rejection of material based on non-compliance with Section C.1 (CHEMICAL COMPOSITION) or Section C.2 (PHYSICAL COMPOSITION) can only be based on testing of a representative sample (see Section E above for the definition of a representative sample). If a representative sample is not available or cannot be obtained, or if the original representative sample has been compromised (i.e. contaminated, lost, etc.), the sample to be used for deciding compliance to this specification shall be determined by the Batch & Melting COE Laboratory of Owens Corning. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] Non-representative sampling such as grab or visual inspection can be used to test conformance to requirements listed in Section C.3 (CONTAMINATION). G. SAFETY DOCUMENTATION -------------------- Material Safety Data Sheets shall be supplied to the Owens Corning user- plant and the Granville Batch & Melting COE. H. PACKAGING --------- This material is to be shipped in 50-pound bags, bulk bags, railcars or trucks as designed by the Purchasing Department. When covered hoppers are requested, whenever possible they shall be fitted with a female vibrator bracket. Bags must be clearly marked as to content. Cars or trucks must be inspected, cleaned and dried if necessary to insure absence of contamination before loading. Hoppers must be sealed with orange plastic ------ tags. I. IDENTIFICATION -------------- Material is identified on the Bill of Lading and invoice with product name and the following O-C Stores Code Number: *. J. SPECIFICATION INQUIRY --------------------- Any inquiry regarding the contents of this specification should be addressed to: Batch & Melting COE Owens Corning Fiberglas Corporation 2790 Columbus Road, Rt. 16 Granville, OH 43023-1200 and a copy of such inquiry should be forwarded to: Composites Logistics and Distribution Owens Corning Fiberglas Corporation P.O. Box 1287 Anderson, SC 29622-1287 CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] APPENDIX A ---------- Attn: Floyd Myers - Industrial Minerals Please check appropriate box below and respond back concerning the approval for the following borate lot change: * * Minimum Maximum ------------- ------- ------- * * * Approval -------- Yes No Batch & Melting COE X ------ ------ Services & Logistics X ------ ------ CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] GLASS BATCH RAW MATERIAL ------------------------ SPECIFICATION CHANGE RECOMMENDATION PURCHASE ACCEPTANCE STANDARD BEING CHANGED: * ACTIVE DOCUMENT DATE: 7/23/98 MATERIAL NAME: * THIS CHANGE WILL AFFECT THE FOLLOWING PLANTS: Aiken Anderson Amarillo Jackson COMMENTS: Appendix A revised for * lot. THE REVISED SPECIFICATION IS ATTACHED. - --------------------------------- ----------------------------------- WRITTEN BY: J. P. Petreanu APPROVED BY: T. L. Wagner CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] * A. GUIDING PHILOSOPHY FOR MATERIAL PURCHASES ----------------------------------------- Owens Corning will enter into quality partnerships with key production material suppliers. The relationship is a special long-term commitment between Composites and its suppliers that will accomplish the following: (1) Provide a product and/or service which meets our fitness-for-use criteria. (2) Provide continuing increased value to Owens Corning. (3) Commit Owens Corning suppliers to use statistical process control principles in their manufacturing processes. Owens Corning and our suppliers are committed to sharing information that will aid in achieving continual improvements in the products and services supplied and in the Owens Corning processes in which they are used. This should result in lower manufacturing costs, less variable products and enhanced Owens Corning customer satisfaction through manufacturing stability. B. FITNESS-FOR-USE CRITERIA ------------------------ This document specified the fitness-for-use criteria the material must meet. Any shipment that does not conform to all these criteria shall not be shipped to an Owens Corning user-plant. C. PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS ----------------------- There are six sections of product characteristics, C.1-C.6. Each section has a specific fitness-for-use criteria. Sections C.2-C.6 are self- explanatory. However, Section C.1, the Chemical Composition section, is rather complex, so the following clarifications have been added: The oxide/elements are divided into one of two categories, either * or *. * are those which are known to require some particular attention on the part of the supplier to insure the specification is met. The attention may be tight control of mining or blending of mine ores or extra attention to some process variable. * are those which are known to generally stay within the specification and exhibit acceptable consistency due to the nature of the deposit and/or the process. They only require monitoring to show evidence that their conformance to the specification continues. The difference between * and * is the amount of attention paid by the supplier and the frequency of the testing required by Owens Corning. However, Owens Corning reserves the right to reject material based on * or *. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] Based on the supplier's production planning, the material has calculable average values for all oxide/elements. The specification is based on the supplier continuing to operate his process such that these average values, or "Target Nominals" are maintained. For selected key oxides/elements (those listed in Section C.6.1), the upper and lower specification limits are defined by adding and subtracting * the maximum acceptable variation from the "Target Nominal" value. The other oxides/elements have a lower or upper specification limit based on Owens Corning's fitness-for-use criteria. This specification does NOT require that a moving average of individual shipment values equal the "Target Nominal". It is required that every shipment be within the specification limits. It is a goal that the variation of critical oxides/elements be reduced and that the shipment values approach random variation around the "Target Nominal". Additional explanations and requirements for the Chemical Composition are contained in Section C.6, "TECHNICAL NOTES". C.1 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION -------------------- PERCENT BY WEIGHT Oxide or Test Element Maximum Maximum Frequency * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] C.2 PHYSICAL COMPOSITION -------------------- % of Original Sieve Weight Retained Test Frequency * * * NOTE: Physical analysis must be performed according to * procedures using * sieves. C.3 CONTAMINATION ------------- The finished product may not contain any containments that are deleterious to the Owens Corning processes. Contamination, both organic and inorganic, including but not limited to * shall be avoided throughout the storage, processing, and rail or truck loading of the shipment. The ore deposit may contain trace amounts of *. As part of the qualification procedure, Owens Corning has measured the level of these contaminants * and determined it to be acceptable. Hereafter, the supplier is responsible for measuring the level of * contamination as new ore deposits are opened to insure the level has not changed. C.4 LABORATORY CERTIFICATION ------------------------ The chemical laboratory must be certified by Owens Corning per procedure *. Any change in analytical procedure requires re-certification. If the supplier does not employ a certified chemical laboratory, then he must submit a schedule by which his chemical laboratory will achieve certification. This schedule must be mutually agreed upon by the supplier and Owens Corning. C.5 SUPPLY OF TEST DATA ------------------- The supplier shall provide the following data to the Owens Corning user- plant on the per shipment basis: * percent retained on the * and * sieves, and percent through the * sieve. Oxides and elements designated as "*" shall also be provided at the intervals listed in Section C.1. Data describing the Chemical and Physical Composition, Section C.1 and C.2 respectively, shall be transmitted to the Owens Corning user-plant and received prior to unloading. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] In addition, complete chemistry of * and *, as described in Section C.1, will be provided to Batch & Melting COE, Granville, Ohio, for the last ten (10) railcars of each lot and the first ten (10) railcars of each lot. The "*" are to be obtained from the pre-shipment sample as defined in Section E (below). The chemical analyses shall be generated by a laboratory that is certified by the Analytical Services Laboratory of Owens Corning, as described in Section C.4. Control charts for *, as described in Section C.6.2, will be provided to Batch & Melting COE on a monthly basis. C.6 TECHNICAL NOTES --------------- 1. Should long-term production planning indicate a need to shift a target nominal, for instance, to optimize reserves or borate lot shipment changes, the supplier may propose a change in the specification limits for *. The supplier must then propose a target nominal value for the oxide(s), and any proposed change must meet the boundary limits beyond which no product is acceptable. The change must also meet the limit on allowed variation. Those limits are: Boundary Limit Maximum Range -------------- ------------- * * * The upper specification for the oxide shall be set as the new target nominal plus * of the maximum range. The lower specification limit shall be set as the target nominal minus * of the maximum range. If the proposed specification results in a violation of the boundary limit listed above, the Batch & Melting COE Laboratory must be informed immediately. The Batch & Melting COE must be consulted on any proposed change to the "Target Nominals" for * before the upper/lower specification limits are set. The new specification will take effect on a date mutually acceptable to the supplier and to Batch & Melting COE. 2. * is a critical process variable with respect to our manufacturing process and our finished glass product. The process capability for * must be established and control charts maintained. Any assignable causes which result in out-of-control incidents should be investigated and appropriate action taken. 3. Significant shifts in organic carbon of the finished time product will impact the manufacturing process at the Owens Corning user-plant. The CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] supplier must inform the Owens Corning user-plant when there is a change in fuel source within the supplier's manufacturing process. D. TEST METHODS ------------ The supplier may use test methods at his discretion provided that they yield results which conform to *. Owens Corning test methods are documented in the Manual of Procedures for Glass Control. E. PRESHIPMENT SAMPLING -------------------- For each shipment, the supplier shall obtain a representative sample of the material directly loaded for shipment or stored in the bin from which the shipment was loaded. A sample library must be maintained for a minimum period of 10 weeks. A representative sample is one which conforms to the principles of probability sampling and sample size selection as defined in ASTM Methods * and *. An example of such sampling can be found in ASTM Methods *. At requested frequency, a * gram minimum split of the representative sample shall be sent to the Owens Corning user-plant as soon as possible after loadout. If a representative sample is currently unobtainable, the supplier shall investigate alternate methods of sampling. F. REJECTIONS ---------- Owens Corning reserves the right to reject upon receipt, and hold for vendor's disposal, any portion or all of the material furnished under this specification which does not conform to all of the requirements set forth herein. Rejection of out-of-specification material will be based solely on Owens Corning chemical and physical evaluation. Rejection of material based on non-compliance with Section C.1 (CHEMICAL COMPOSITION) or Section C.2 (PHYSICAL COMPOSITION) can only be based on testing of a representative sample (see Section E above for the definition of a representative sample). If a representative sample is not available or cannot be obtained, or if the original representative sample has been compromised (i.e. contaminated, lost, etc.), the sample to be used for deciding compliance to this specification shall be determined by the Batch & Melting COE Laboratory of Owens Corning. Non-representative sampling such as grab or visual inspection can be used to test conformance to requirements listed in Section C.3 (CONTAMINATION). G. SAFETY DOCUMENTATION -------------------- Material Safety Data Sheets shall be supplied to the Owens Corning user- plant and the Granville Batch & Melting COE. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] H. PACKAGING --------- This material is to be shipped in 50-pound bags, railcars or trucks as designed by the Purchasing Department. When covered hoppers are requested, whenever possible they shall be fitted with a female vibrator bracket. Bags must be clearly marked as to content. Cars or trucks must be inspected, cleaned and dried if necessary to insure absence of contamination before loading. Hoppers must be sealed with yellow plastic ------ tags. I. IDENTIFICATION -------------- Material is identified on the Bill of Lading and invoice with product name and the following OC Stores Code Number: * J. SPECIFICATION INQUIRY --------------------- Any inquiry regarding the contents of this specification should be addressed to: Batch & Melting COE Owens Corning 2790 Columbus Road, Rt. 16 Granville, OH 43023-1200 and a copy of such inquiry should be forwarded to: Composites Logistics and Distribution Owens Corning P.O. Box 1287 Anderson, SC 29622-1287 CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*] APPENDIX A ---------- Attn: Floyd Myers Industrial Minerals Please check appropriate box below and respond back concerning the approval for the following borate lot change: * * Minimum Maximum ------------- ------- ------- * * * Approval -------- Yes No ------- ------- Batch & Melting COE X ------- ------- Industrial Minerals (Floyd Myers) X ------- ------- CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED [*]