Ce-DUR™ shakes molded from Baydur® 630 rigid polyurethane foam, marketed through BaySystems™, look like wood but meet the needs of consumers and insurers in wildfire, hail regions

Pittsburgh, PA – February 11, 2009 – Wildfires in southern California and hail that is regularly the size of golf balls in the United States’ “hail belt” cost insurance companies billions of dollars. Consequently, there is an increasing demand for an alternative to traditional wood shakes for roofing. In response to the growing demand for such a product, Eagle Roofing Products, a division of Burlingame Industries, has acquired the rights from Endurall Technologies to manufacture and distribute Ce-DUR™, an incredibly lightweight and durable wood shake replacement. The product is molded from Baydur® 630 rigid polyurethane foam. Baydur® 630 rigid polyurethane foam is marketed through BaySystems™, the umbrella brand for the global polyurethane systems operations of Bayer MaterialScience.

“We are pleased to be able to meet the needs of the market for a wood shake alternative with our advanced Baydur® polyurethane system,” said Harry George, head, polyurethane new applications, Bayer MaterialScience LLC. “Our material allows Eagle Roofing Products to produce a roofing material that offers a combination of high performance and aesthetics that consumers demand.”

Using advanced technology to replicate the look and texture of hand-split cedar, Ce-DUR™ delivers the durability and unsurpassed weather protection benefits most often found in concrete roof tile and is manufactured using a modified reaction injection molding (RIM) system. Environmentally friendly, the shake uses no trees or lumber but is molded from actual cedar samples to create a realistic wood appearance.

“We are constantly striving to improve the product’s durability, flame retardant properties and hail resistance, and Bayer MaterialScience continues to support our efforts in reaching those goals at the lowest possible price to our customers,” said Kevin Burlingame, president, Burlingame Industries. “With new regulations and insurance policies prohibiting the use of wood shakes cropping up in high-risk states, we wanted to offer customers the best alternative possible. Ce-DUR™ is that alternative.”

Ce-DUR™ shakes are proven to be ideally suited for extremely harsh weather conditions, offering superior protection from snow and hail, and providing self-healing capabilities that make minor hail damage temporary. Ce-DUR™ is a closed-cell material that compresses at impact; as heat is absorbed through normal sun exposure, the compression relaxes and the cells return to their original state, repairing dents. Ce-DUR™ has a wind rating of up to 100 mph, and a 110 mph rating can be achieved by reducing the exposure and using special fasteners. A Class A fire rating is achievable with the installation of readily available and approved underlayment.

Unlike conventional hand-spilt cedar, Ce-DUR™ is also virtually non-absorbent, eliminating the freeze/thaw cycle effects that can cause snow release/sliding, splitting, warping, rotting or fungus growth common in a standard wood shake. The product is competitively priced with other simulated wood shake products and requires no special tools, hardware or accessories so it can be easily installed with traditional fasteners. Weighing approximately 170 pounds per roofing square, the lightweight Ce-DUR™ shake requires no additional roof support or engineering as long as the existing building structure and deck are sound.

The product is protected by a Lifetime Transferable Limited Product Warranty. According to Burlingame, the company is making Ce-DUR™ products available through Eagle’s sister company, EagleTech, a new division of Burlingame Industries that will manufacture Ce-DUR™ and future advanced composite roofing products.

About Eagle Roofing Products
Eagle Roofing Products, a division of Burlingame Industries, was founded in 1989 with the goal of manufacturing quality concrete roof tile in modern, automated and high-speed plants. From the beginning, Eagle Roofing Products has prided itself on building strong relationships with customers of all sizes by listening and responding to their requests. Eagle Roofing Products is continually expanding its production capacity and its market coverage in order to offer its superior products nationwide. Having earned AAA rating by the Better Business Bureau, Eagle maintains strong sales and customer service support at the local as well as national level. Eagle is also committed to seeking out trend setting technologies and products that help the environment while helping our customers and their customers. Our green building products and green manufacturing process are a major focus of the company’s time and investments. For more information on Eagle Roofing Products, please visit www.eagleroofing.com.

About Bayer MaterialScience
Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of polymers and high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with nearly 15,400 employees at 30 sites around the world and 2007 sales of 10.4 billion euros. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries. Our inorganic basic chemicals unit produces chlorine and related essential products for the chemicals industry. Let us give life to your vision. Bayer MaterialScience – Where VisionWorks.

Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is a subsidiary of Bayer AG, an international health care, nutrition and high-tech materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. In North America, Bayer had 2007 net sales of 8.1 billion euros and employed 16,800 at year end. Bayer’s three subgroups, Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience, improve people’s lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose, prevent and treat diseases; protect crops and enhance yields; and advance automobile safety and durability.