Press Releases

Oldcastle Glass® acquires April Industries, Inc.

anta Monica, CA. – May 5, 2003 – Oldcastle Glass® is pleased to announce the acquisition of April Industries, Inc., a leading fabricator and distributor of architectural glass products located in Montreal, Quebec. April Industries, Inc. was founded in 1990 by Jean-Guy Vanier to provide quality architectural glass products to the Eastern Canadian building markets. Oldcastle Glass® is the largest independent supplier of architectural glass products and services with 42 operating locations throughout North America, including four Canadian operations in Burnaby and Penticton, BC, Calgary, AB, and Toronto, ON.

“We have long sought to establish a stronger presence in Eastern Canada”, said Ted Hathaway, Chief Executive Officer of Oldcastle Glass®. “This acquisition offers a solid platform for expanding April’s product offerings and penetrating new geographic markets. We intend to build upon their outstanding reputation in the large and dynamic Quebec market where April has been the leading supplier of advanced glass products to the architectural and building communities.”

“April has invested significant amounts of financial and human capital over the past two years. We have built a new state-of-the-art 132,000 sq.ft. manufacturing facility, launched a new laminating line, received certifications to fabricate PPG’s Solarban® and Guardian’s Sun-Guard® proprietary energy-efficient products and broadened our management team. We look forward to leveraging Oldcastle’s significant operational expertise and their North American network of strategically located operating facilities,” said Jean-Guy Vanier, President.

Oldcastle Glass® has a strong reputation for its quality service as well as many innovative glass products featured in some of the most high profile architectural installations in North America. Among them are the Getty Center, the LAX Gateway, the Mary Baker Eddy Library in Boston, The Hawaii Convention Center and the 2002 Olympic Torch in Salt Lake City. Oldcastle Glass® is a U.S. subsidiary of CRH plc, a leading international building materials and products company based in Dublin, Ireland.

For additional information please contact:
Susan Trimble: Director of Corporate Communications