PHILLIPSBURG, NJ--(Marketwire - November 15, 2010) - Avantor™ Performance Materials announced today that it is renaming its Mallinckrodt^® Chemicals brand product line Macron™ Chemicals, as the company transitions away from its former Mallinckrodt Baker identity.

The name change, which will be implemented on March 7, 2011, will not involve any product or manufacturing changes.

Avantor will follow its standard Management of Change (MOC) procedure for this change. While the change will not impact product functionality, customers of record will receive notification of the change. The timing of the announcement gives Avantor customers time to prepare to accept product under the new brand name on March 7, 2011.

Avantor, formerly Mallinckrodt Baker, manufactures and markets high-performance chemistries and materials around the world under two well-known and respected brand names, J.T.Baker^® and Mallinckrodt^® Chemicals, now to be called Macron™ Chemicals. These products are widely used in biotechnology and pharmaceutical production; microelectronics and photovoltaic manufacturing; and in research, academic and quality control laboratories.

Headquartered in Phillipsburg, New Jersey (USA), Avantor was acquired from Covidien in August 2010 by an affiliate of New Mountain Capital, a New York-based private equity firm.

Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, the Mallinckrodt^® name will remain with Covidien. Products sold by Avantor under the Mallinckrodt^® Chemicals brand name will continue to be manufactured and marketed by Avantor but will now be called Macron™ Chemicals. Avantor intends to continue using the J.T.Baker^® brand name.

The Macron™ Chemicals product line will be identical to the current Mallinckrodt^® line, which includes high-purity solvents, acids, solutions, salts, minerals and sugars.

Paul Smaltz, Vice President of Global Marketing at Avantor, said the company's products have a long history of use in laboratories, as well as in the demanding pharmaceutical market -- a factor that contributed to the selection of the new Macron™ brand name.

"Our products have a legacy of safety and trust, with a 140-year tradition for delivering the highest standards of quality, purity and consistency," explained Smaltz. "The Macron™ Chemicals name embodies size and strength, setting a standard of consistency recognized across the industry and around the world. Today, the brand's focus is on providing products for cGMP pharmaceutical production and everyday laboratory use in environmental testing, university research and industrial manufacturing," he said.

Smaltz emphasized that the Mallinckrodt^® brand name is changing, but not the company's manufacturing process.

"Our Macron™ brand products will be produced in the same facilities under the same manufacturing processes, and will share the same product numbers, product names and code numbers as the previous Mallinckrodt^® brand products," said Smaltz. "We don't anticipate any supply interruptions because of this change and we will continue to deliver high-quality, high-purity materials with the consistency and reliability our customers expect from us."

Visit www.avantormaterials.com or www.twitter.com/avantor_news for more information.

About Avantor Performance Materials -- formerly Mallinckrodt Baker
Avantor Performance Materials, formerly Mallinckrodt Baker, manufactures and markets high-performance chemistries and materials around the world under two well-known and respected brand names, J.T.Baker^® and Macron^® (formerly Mallinckrodt^® Chemicals). These products are widely used in biotechnology and pharmaceutical production; in the manufacturing of semiconductors, flat panel displays and photovoltaic cells; and in research, academic and quality control laboratories. Based in Phillipsburg, New Jersey (USA), Avantor is owned by an affiliate of New Mountain Capital, LLC. For additional information please visit www.avantormaterials.com or follow www.twitter.com/avantor_news.

About New Mountain Capital
New Mountain Capital is a New York-based private equity firm investing for long-term capital appreciation through direct investment in growth equity transactions, leveraged acquisitions, and management buyouts. The Firm currently manages private and public equity funds with approximately $8.5 billion in aggregate capital commitments. New Mountain seeks out the highest-quality growth leaders in carefully selected industry sectors and then works intensively with management to build the value of these companies. For more information on New Mountain Capital, please visit www.newmountaincapital.com.

Mallinckrodt® is a trademark of Mallinckrodt Inc.
Other trademarks are owned by Avantor Performance Materials, Inc. or its affiliates unless otherwise noted.
© 2010 Avantor Performance Materials

Contact Information:

Media Contacts:
Allison Hosak
Director, Corporate Communications
Avantor Performance Materials (formerly Mallinckrodt Baker)
Office: 908-213-6713
Mobile: 908-329-7281
allison.hosak@avantormaterials.com

Todd Walter
PR Account Manager
Godfrey Advertising
Office: 717-393-3831
Mobile: 717-371-4833
twalter@godfrey.com