News Releases

Date: Jan. 30, 2007

Contacts:

Contact:	Company:	Phone:	Email:
Bill Brady	Cargill	952-742-6608	bill_brady@cargill.com
Jackie Renner	RCC	612-859-2626	rennercomm@aol.com
Abigail Fett	Cryotech Deicing Technology	800-346-7237	abigail.fett@cryotech.com

 

Cargill Grants Cryotech Exclusive Rights to Market SafeLane™ Surface Overlay to Aviation Industry

MINNEAPOLIS – Cargill today announced it has signed an agreement granting Cryotech, a world leader in deicing technology, exclusive rights to market SafeLane ™ Surface Overlay to airports and the aviation industry. The agreement takes effect immediately.

Earlier this month, Cargill introduced a new product, SafeLane CA-48 Overlay, for making sidewalks, parking facilities, airport ramps and other outdoor venues safer. SafeLane CA-48 is a companion product to SafeLane™ HDX Surface Overlay, a revolutionary technology for making roads and bridges safer for winter driving that is now reducing accidents and improving mobility in 14 states.

SafeLane CA-48 Overlay has all the benefits of SafeLane HDX, but uses a smaller aggregate material. It has already been installed at parking lots in South Portland, Maine, and Hartford, Conn., as well as a rail load-out facility in Eddyville, Iowa. Businesses that have installed SafeLane CA-48 say they hope to reduce pedestrian injuries from slips and falls on sidewalks, walkways and outdoor work platforms.

“This product takes deicing technology beyond chemical usage alone,” said Keith Johnson, president and chief executive officer of Cryotech. “Our intention is to provide our customers with the best available technology to achieve their winter maintenance goals. Partnering with Cargill to present SafeLane to the aviation industry is an example of Cryotech’s commitment to that goal.”

SafeLane Surface Overlay is a patented combination of epoxy and aggregate rock. When liquid anti-icing chemicals are applied to the overlay before ice or snowstorms hit, the material acts like a rigid sponge, storing the chemicals inside and automatically releasing them as conditions develop for the formation of ice or snow. The result is safer surfaces with better mobility and less maintenance, because the overlay helps prevent ice or frost from forming on treated surfaces.

The installations of SafeLane CA-48 follow AASHTO Task Force 34 protocols, but only a single application of epoxy and aggregate is required. The result is a lower cost installation that still provides all the anti-icing and mobility benefits.

An analysis of SafeLane’s performance during the 2005-2006 winter season found no weather-related accidents at any of the nine test sites in place last winter, even though most of the sites had a history of dangerous winter accidents.

“We are thrilled to be teaming up with Cryotech, a name that is synonymous with forward thinking deicing technology in aviation,” said Bob Persichetti, general manager for SafeLane™ Surface Overlay. “SafeLane Overlay is already keeping ice away and drivers safer on roads and bridges. Now, CA-48 Overlay promises to improve winter operations at airports and military bases, when applied to baggage handling areas, walkways and parking ramps. As our product continues to undergo research and testing, we look forward to the time when it will obtain approvals for use on taxiways, providing even greater safety assurance for air travelers.”

Safelane’s patented technology is licensed to Cargill by Michigan Tech University, where it was invented by Russ Alger, director of MTU’s Institute for Snow Research.

 

About Cryotech

Cryotech is a division of General Atomics International Services Corporation, a San Diego based company specializing in energy-related research and product development. Cryotech manufactures and markets environmentally compatible acetate-based highway, commercial, and airport runway deicers, as well as glycol-based aircraft deicers. Each is considered safer for the environment because they biodegrade and exhibit low toxicity to vegetation and aquatic life. For more information, visit www.cryotech.com.

About Cargill

Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With 149,000 employees in 63 countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. For more information, visit www.cargill.com.