CP Kelco Chooses Cap Gemini Ernst & Young For Multi-Year Information Technology Transformation Project

KANSAS CITY, Missouri and WILMINGTON, Delaware -January 9, 2002 - Cap Gemini Ernst & Young US LLP (CGE&Y), was selected by CP Kelco, a global leader in hydrocolloids (thickeners and stabilizers) market, with leading positions in xanthan gum and pectin and a strong position in carrageenan, to perform IT services over a five year period. These services include a project that will consolidate multiple SAP Instances onto a single SAP platform by the second quarter of 2002 as well as providing ongoing IT outsourcing services for applications management and infrastructure management for the remainder of the five year period. Cap Gemini Ernst & Young is a global leader in IT and management consulting.

CP Kelco ApS was formed in 2000 by the combination of the Copenhagen Pectin/Food Gums Division of Hercules Incorporated and the Kelco Biopolymers business of Monsanto Company.

"CP Kelco is committed to delivering value to customers through superior product quality and customer service, and aligning with CGE&Y will help us realize that vision through our investment in information technology," said Robert Toth, president and chief executive officer of CP Kelco. "Teaming with CGE&Y enables us to continue the process of unlocking the inherent value that exists in our Company.."

The SAP "build" component will be based in Chicago but will impact CP Kelco locations in the United States and Europe. The outsourcing services will be provided from CGE&Y's Kansas City service center, where CGE&Y will assist with the initial IT infrastructure migration from Hercules to their current data center and provide application support for the former Monsanto and Hercules systems.

"We are excited to help CP Kelco build an adaptive IT infrastructure that will enable them to better serve their existing customers and position them for growth in each of their business units," said Bob Pryor, chief executive of Global Operate, Americas for CGE&Y. By leveraging our Kansas City service center, we were able to accelerate the transition and support of the SAP systems and related bolt-on applications, significantly reducing the risk of transition and knowledge transfer."

CP Kelco ApS was formed in 2000 by the combination of the Copenhagen Pectin/Food Gums Division of Hercules Incorporated and the Kelco Biopolymers business of Monsanto Company. CP Kelco is the global leader in the hydrocolloids (thickeners and stabilizers) market, with leading positions in xanthan gum and pectin and a strong position in carrageenan. The Company has more than 2,000 customers in over 100 countries, with headquarters in Delaware, and facilities in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. CP Kelco's principal shareholders are Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking Partners II L.P. and Hercules Incorporated (NYSE: HPC).

Cap Gemini Ernst & Young is one of the largest management and IT consulting firms in the world. The company offers management and IT consulting services, systems integration, and technology development, design and outsourcing capabilities on a global scale to help businesses continue to implement growth strategies and leverage technology in the new economy. The organization employs about 57,000 people worldwide and reports global revenues of more than 8.5 billion euros (2000 pro forma).

More information about individual service lines, offices and research is available at www.cgey.com