BRADENTON, Fla. – June 9, 2005 – Listening to customers not only helps build relationships, but, as Intertape Polymer Group found out, great new products as well.  Intertape, through its American automotive tape group, announces the introduction of a newly reformulated tape as a result of feedback from auto body technicians. 

     Field research and trials indicated that technicians believed that the performance of a key “beige” masking product, long an industry leader, was gone forever when it was changed by its manufacturer.  Intertape took the technicians insight and developed a new product, American XG, which combines the best attributes of existing products and newly developed adhesive technologies.

     “Body shop technicians worked with us to develop American XG,” states Brian Miller, vice president of Intertape’s Consumer Products Business Team. “Extensive field research done with a variety of prototypes pointed the way to a product that we believe represents the best in class for autobody repair products.”

     Called XG for extreme grade, the new product from American Tape provides a unique combination of performance features   Some include easy application and residue-free removal,  ergonomic design in both application and removal, sharp paint lines and cornerability.  UV protection was also added as a feature to improve wet sanding performance.

     “While another product was once the clear industry standard, technology has evolved to allow us to create an even better product,” states Miller.  “With UV protection, the tape’s quality and performance can be extended over a couple of days since it prevents the sun from degrading its adhesive properties.  This allows the technician to spend more time working on the repair than wasting time masking and unmasking the job.”

     The largest tape manufacturer in North America, Intertape Polymer Group Inc., headquartered in Bradenton, Florida, develops, manufactures and sells polyolefin plastic, paper packaging products and complementary packaging systems. Products include masking tape, acrylic and natural rubber pressure-sensitive carton sealing tapes, paper and reinforced tapes, HVAC tape and a number of automotive and aerospace high-performance products.

     The company also manufactures and markets Exlfilm® shrink film, StretchFlex® stretch film, case erectors, shrink packaging machinery, ink jet printers and labeling systems, woven coated fabrics products and flexible intermediate bulk containers.

     For more information, visit the company’s website at www.intertapepolymer.com.

Editor’s Note: An electronic image of Intertape’s Automotive products is available upon request.  Please contact Scott Carpenter at scarpenter@clarkeadvertising.com or 941-365-2710.