Hydranautics to hike membrane prices

OCEANSIDE, CA, March 21, 2005 -- Hydranautics announces a 6% general price increase for all of its reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) products. Specific prices will be increased 6% above customers' current price for all products. The increase is effective with all orders placed on or after Feb. 28, 2005. Hydranautics will provide price protection for firm complete orders received by March 31 for shipment within 60 days after receipt of the order (ARO). Please contact Hydranautics for more details.

In a news release announcing the hike, the company stated, "This price increase is necessary to only partially offset rising cost of all components of our manufactured products. For example, essentially all of the material in an RO element is petroleum based. It's no secret to anyone what the price of oil has done in the last year, rising to an over unprecedented $50 per barrel."

All of Hydranautics' material cost as well as labor and utility costs have increased over the last several years, it added. To better serve their customers, Hydranautics and Nitto Denko also have recently completed major expansions and efficiency improvements of our manufacturing facilities in Oceanside, Calif., and Shiga, Japan.

Hydranautics (www.hydranautics.com or www.membranes.com), of Oceanside, Calif., manufactures water purification equipment using membrane separation technology. Its products are used worldwide for a variety of applications, from seawater desalination, to surface water treatment, to agricultural irrigation. The company, founded in 1963, is a subsidiary of Nitto Denko.

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