Press Releases Conforma Clad Lands Russian Mud Motor Radial Bearing Customers New Albany, Indiana — (July 18, 2003) Conforma Clad, a leading provider of severe wear solutions for fabricated metal components, announces the sale of its tungsten carbide radial bearings to Russia companies. The first shipments of Conforma Clad wear-protected radial bearings to Russian companies began in November of 2002, and are expected to increase in the coming year. “We are excited about expanding our business into Russia,” said Doug Kimball, Senior Application Engineer. “Russia’s preference for their own technology has made it difficult for western companies to penetrate the market. Radial bearing orders from Russian companies further validate the value of Conforma Clad’s product offering to the oilfield industry.” The need to maximize their natural resources has led Russian oil drilling companies toward directional drilling, and away from vertical drilling. Increased competition from western companies expanding their drilling services into Russia has also prompted Russian-based companies to increase their efficiencies. While directional drilling is more accurate in reaching oil and gas reserves, it increases side-load stress on critical components like radial bearings. Conforma Clad’s technology infiltrates tungsten carbide into the substrate of the base material, forming a hard, uniform protective layer that provides superior wear and is virtually impervious to chipping and flaking. Superior wear resistance translates to longer life. And, more importantly, minimizes the chance of a costly down-hole failure. In addition to mud motor radial bearings, Conforma Clad also provides wear protected flow diverters and tool joints for the oilfield industry. For more information related to Conforma Clad’s oil field products, contact Doug Kimball, Senior Application Engineer at 888-289-4590. Conforma Clad Inc. is a leading provider of severe wear solutions for applications involving extreme abrasion, corrosion and erosion, or a combination thereof. It is the major supplier of radial bearings used in directional drilling for oil and gas. For the plastic and food industries, Conforma Clad provides wear resistant extruder barrels, liners and screw flights. Liners for fans, ash conveyance, burner and pulverizer components are among the products provided for coal-fired power plants. Conforma Clad, which dates back to 1968, is headquartered in New Albany, Indiana.