EXHIBIT 99
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[ZOLTEK logo]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NASDAQ NMS SYMBOL: "ZOLT"
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ZOLTEK PYRON SETS NEW STANDARD FOR SAFETY
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IN CHILDREN'S BEDDING
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ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI -- MARCH 17, 2005 -- Zoltek Companies, Inc.
today reported that its fire-resistant Pyron(R) fiber has been selected by
the Juvenile Products Division of Atlanta-based Simmons Company as its
material of choice for a new line of super-safe cribs and mattresses for
babies and small children. Zoltek is teamed with Leggett & Platt, Inc. in
supplying the bedding material to Simmons.
"Pyron is the key enabling material for a new family of
flame-resistant products that will meet the strictest flammability standards
and far exceed open flame safety performance mandated by regulations that
currently are in effect or being considered for mattresses and bedding,"
said Zsolt Rumy, President, Chairman and CEO of Zoltek. "We are proud to be
associated with Simmons Juvenile Products Division and Leggett & Platt in
raising the bar and setting a new standard for safety in children's
bedding."
Leggett & Platt, the nation's leading supplier of components to the
mattress and bedding industry, has a patent pending on a new class of
flame-resistant products marketed under the PyroGon(R) name. PyroGon
products are a blend of polyester and Pyron that have performed
exceptionally well in testing and development. When subjected to an open
flame, the overlaying polyester fibers rapidly retreat, leaving a layer of
inert Pyron that acts as a flameproof shield against exothermic oxidation of
the combustible material inside the mattress.
"We believe the PyroGon material offers a 60-minute flame
resistance solution at a 30-minute price point," Rumy said. "It represents a
real breakthrough in product safety that could save thousands of lives every
year, and yet it is economically competitive with chemically-treated bedding
materials that do not meet the 60-minute standard and tend to become less
safe over time as the chemical treatment erodes. By contrast, the flame
resistance of PyroGon does not degrade over the entire lifetime of the
bedding product."
The law requiring flame-resistant mattresses is now effective in
California, but enforcement may be postponed until the federally mandated
standards are established in the near future. However, Rumy commented,
"While it appears that chemically-treated fibers and some more expensive
fibers can
[ZOLTEK logo]
Zoltek Pyron Sets New Standard For Safety In Children's Bedding
Page 2
March 17, 2005
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meet the minimum safety standards in the current California regulations, we
believe that the segment of the market that is truly committed to
incorporating an effective solution to the flame resistance problem at
affordable price points is going to look to products containing Pyron."
Zoltek currently manufactures and sells Pyron for various
fire-retardant applications, including institutional mattresses and
furniture. Zoltek began shipments of significant quantities of Pyron for
this and other juvenile bedding applications.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
ZSOLT RUMY, CEO
3101 MCKELVEY ROAD
ST. LOUIS, MO 63044
(314) 291-5110
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are based upon
the current expectations of the Company. Because these forward-looking
statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, there are a
number of factors that could cause the Company's plans, actions and actual
results to differ materially. Among these factors are the Company's ability
to: re-activate its formerly idle manufacturing facilities on a timely and
cost-effective basis, to meet current order levels for carbon fibers;
successfully add new capacity for the production of carbon fiber and
precursor raw material; execute plans to exit its specialty products
business and reduce costs; achieve profitable operations; raise new capital
and increase its borrowing at acceptable costs; manage changes in customers'
forecasted requirements for the Company's products; continue investing in
application and market development; manufacture low-cost carbon fibers and
profitably market them; and penetrate existing, identified and emerging
markets. The timing and occurrence (or non-occurrence) of transactions and
events that determine the future effect of these factors on the Company, as
well as other factors, may be beyond the control of the Company. The Company
undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect
events or circumstances after the date of this press release.
Zoltek is an applied technology and materials company. Zoltek's Carbon Fiber
and Technical Fiber Business Units are primarily focused on the
manufacturing and application of carbon fibers used as reinforcement
material in composites, oxidized acrylic fibers for heat/fire barrier
applications and aircraft brakes, and composite design and engineering to
support the Company's materials business. Zoltek's Hungarian-based Specialty
Products Business Unit, which the Company is pursuing plans to exit,
manufactures and markets industrial materials.