Avon-ISI Thermal Imaging for Fire Fighters

Avon, the maker of breathing apparatus, has improved its trading performance In a trading period shortened by holiday shutdowns, AVON has improved its trading performance over the comparative period last year in line with management expectations. Protection and defenceThey continue to deliver mask systems on schedule to the US DoD and 2010 budget funding for the program has been confirmed. The UK MoD has exercised year 2 of their 3-year option contract which secures production in line with expectations for our UK facility through to March 2011. The order intake from higher margin homeland security and foreign military customers for the quarter has been better than in any of the previous four quarters. This should have a positive impact on the remainder of the financial year. Actions taken at ISI are starting to have a positive effect although significant further improvement is still required. DairyThe business has experienced higher demand as increasing milk prices are driving recovery in the dairy industry. The outsourcing of European production to the Czech Republic is complete and we continue to expect to see the full benefits as planned in the second half of our financial year. The Group, which makes CBRN breathing protection solutions, was in compliance with its banking covenants throughout the period Balance Sheet Seasonal fluctuations in working capital have resulted in an increase in net debt to £14.8m at 31 December 2009 (30 September 2009: £13.6m, 31 December 2008: £19.2m). This gives headroom of £7.2m against facilities of £22.0m.The Group was in compliance with its banking covenants throughout the period. OutlookThe protection strategy is delivering progress, although the rate and timing of order wins continues to be difficult to predict. The company is increasingly confident that recent improved trading by the dairy business will be sustained. Annual general meetingThe annual general meeting in respect of the financial year end 30 September 2009 will be held at Avon's Hampton Park West facility, Semington Road, Melksham, Wiltshire, SN12 6NB on 2nd March 2010. Registration will be from 10:00 a.m.

Avon-ISI has launched a new website and technical support telephone line New corporate developments reflect newly focused company divisions Avon-ISI recently announced the launch of its new website (www.avon-isi.com), as part of the newly released website from Avon Rubber plc, its parent company. Avon Rubber and its subsidiaries now share a common look and feel with linked webpages, while also maintaining each division's unique market focus. The Avon-ISI website has a user-friendly layout with information organized into categories, including "market solutions," "product solutions" and "articles and press." Each product is organized into tabbed information, such as descriptions, approvals, user focus, features and options that viewers can select. Many of the company's flagship products - including the Viking Z Seven self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) - can now be viewed from all sides, due to the rotating 360-degree photography. Users can also stop the animation to read about a specific product feature. The site's homepage features an online warranty registration form to make registering products fast and easy. Soon, a password-protected distributor extranet will be launched, enabling Avon-ISI distributors to access proprietary information. In addition to its new website, Avon-ISI has expanded its technical support services to include a new toll-free line, offering convenient support to its customers in the field. The new number - +1 866 798 8539 - will be answered from 8 am to 5 pm EST. An updated phone system automatically routes calls to technical support staff, ensuring callers connect with a live person. If all technical support staff members are assisting other callers, the caller will have the option to speak with a customer service representative or leave a voicemail message. ISI: The fire market brand of Avon-ISI Firefighters across the United States know International Safety Instruments (ISI) and its 30-year history of making innovative and easy-to-operate SCBAs. To capitalize on this, Avon-ISI recently renamed its fire service brand to the simpler ISI and introduced a newly designed logo, which reinforces the ISI tradition while acknowledging the partnership with the parent company. "The strength of the company, along with our reputation of developing innovative products, is something we want to capture with our ISI brand," said Don Reycroft, sales and marketing manager for Avon-ISI. "As ISI, we are partners with Avon - respiratory experts since 1885. We feel this partnership of experience and the ISI name that firefighters know and trust is a winning combination." Avon Rubber purchased Lawrenceville, GA-based ISI in 2005.