Port Clinton, OH/April 18, 2007 – Fenner Dunlop North America, Inc. broke ground on their $38 million expansion at its Port Clinton, OH, conveyor belt manufacturing facility. The expansion will add nearly 80,000 square feet of plant and manufacturing space to accommodate the acquisition of state-of-the-art machinery and equipment for the production of some of the world’s widest steel cord belting product and plied rubber conveyor belting.

David Hurd, President of Fenner Dunlop North America, welcomed State and Local government officials, Fenner PLC Board Members, contractors and plant employees at the morning groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, April 18. He stated that many factors made Port Clinton the ideal location for the expansion.

“This is the largest single investment Fenner PLC has ever made to expand its manufacturing capabilities in North America”, stated David Hurd, President of Fenner Dunlop North America. “We could not have made this happen without the support of our employees who work day in and day out to provide quality product to our customers and end-users. This expansion will solidify our position worldwide.”

President of the plant workers’ labor union, Richard Reed, also addressed the crowd. He stated that the employees have been through slow periods in the past, but they always persevered due to their pride and dedication to their jobs. Their hard work has now paid off.

Fenner Dunlop estimates the expansion will generate up to 75 new jobs, relying on the Ottawa County Improvement Corp Job Store to assist in hiring locally. Construction on the new building began immediately after the groundbreaking with a projected completion date of May 2008.

In attendance was Troy Dolan, President of Fenner Dunlop Americas largest distributor, Conveyor Services, based in Blairsville, PA. Mr. Dolan presented Hurd and Colin Cooke, Fenner PLC Chairman of the Board, with a multi-million dollar order, of which over half was for belting to be manufactured on the new 96” presses.

“This has been a long, tedious process, but the Port Clinton team did what was needed to prepare their plant for the expansion,” stated Mike Hock, Fenner Dunlop Project Manager. “The employees have been unbelievably supportive throughout the process.” To insure that the expansion remains on schedule, Hock will continue to work closely with general contractor, Mosser Construction, based out of Fremont, OH, and architects Poggemeyer Design Group out of Bowling Green, OH.