Re Joint Venture

Compagnie de Saint-Gobain
19 January 2001



                        SAINT-GOBAIN AND IBIDEN TO CREATE
                                  JOINT VENTURE

Saint-Gobain's  Ceramics & Plastics Branch and the Japanese company  Ibiden  Co.
Ltd Corporation have signed an agreement to form a Joint Venture company, Ibiden
DPF France, to produce particulate filters for diesel engines.

Through  this  agreement,  SAINT-GOBAIN, worldwide  leader  in  silicon  carbide
powders, and its Japanese partner Ibiden will build a plant in France to produce
silicon  carbide  diesel particulate filters. These filters became  a  worldwide
reference since the development by PSA Peugeot Citroen of the particulate filter
system for the Peugeot 607 as a worldwide first. Due to their high efficiency in
eliminating  particulate emissions, these new filters, combined  with  advanced
engine control strategies, represent a significant breakthrough in the field  of
automotive emissions control technologies.

With  this  new facility, Saint-Gobain and Ibiden will be able to  respond  the
needs  of  PSA  Peugeot Citroen, which plans to extend the use of  this  filter
technology to all its new vehicles.

The new plant represents a global investment of 60 million Euros. Production  is
expected  to  start  early  in 2002. The company will employ  approximately  200
people in Courtenay (Loiret), where Saint-Gobain has already three manufacturing
sites.


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