Saint-Gobain is a leading worldwide producer of abrasives, building materials, high performance plastics, insulation, flat glass, glass containers, piping, reinforcements and industrial ceramics. One of the top 100 industrial companies in the world, Saint-Gobain had worldwide sales of $27.2 billion in 2001. In the United Sates and Canada, Saint-Gobain employs approximately 27,000 people, and has approximately 200 manufacturing locations. Its total U.S. and Canada sales in 2001 were $6.4 billion. The Northboro R&D Center is one of three world-class research centers for Saint-Gobain. These centers are home to our research for ceramics, plastics and abrasives and boast leading scientists and state of the art equipment.