General Cable Completes an Agreement With Boeing to Supply On-board Fiber Optic Cable for the International Space Station

Business Wire, June 5, 2001

Business Editors & Technology Writers

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 5, 2001

General Cable Corporation (NYSE:BGC) announced today that it has reached an agreement in principle with The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) to be the supplier of on-board fiber optic cable for the ongoing requirements and maintenance of the International Space Station (ISS) program. General Cable was the exclusive supplier of fiber optic cable for the Boeing-built U.S. Laboratory, Destiny, which was successfully launched and installed to the ISS on February 10, 2001. Destiny is the primary workstation for the United States' involvement on the ISS.

The Destiny lab arrived with five systems racks and will eventually house 23 which will enable the facility to yield a steady stream of data on its findings from hundreds of high-quality science and technology experiments. Destiny will eventually provide command and control capabilities for the Station and begin the transfer of ISS operations from the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow to NASA's Mission Control in Houston, Texas.

"We are thrilled to be involved in this mission-critical program," said Stephen Rabinowitz, chairman and chief executive officer of General Cable. "Aerospace programs like the ISS provide continued challenges for our Technology Team to develop higher performance, reduced weight and smaller diameter cables to meet the rigors of space travel. The U.S. Laboratory, Destiny, required fiber optic cable that could perform at temperature extremes from -150 degrees C to 200 degrees C with temperature change cycles in increments of minutes and provide resistance to the radiation and vacuum environments of space. As a learning organization, we will leverage this new knowledge in fiber optic technology to improve products for other key customers in military, marine, aerospace and other specialty markets where wire and cable performance is essential to maintain operations."

"Boeing's work with General Cable to provide an on-board maintenance capability for the fiber optic cables is critical to supporting NASA's long-term evolution of the International Space Station," said Paul Geery, Division Director, International Space Station, Boeing Space & Communications. "The fiber optic cable is the heart of the communications network for video, audio and high-speed data on the Space Station."

Five more Space Shuttle missions are planned to deploy equipment and technology to the International Space Station in 2001.

General Cable (NYSE:BGC), headquartered in Highland Heights, Kentucky, is a leader in the development, design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of copper, aluminum and fiber optic wire and cable products for the communications, energy and electrical markets. The Company offers competitive strengths in such areas as breadth of product line, brand recognition, distribution and logistics, sales and service and operating efficiency. Communications wire and cable products transmit low-voltage signals for voice, data, video and control applications. Energy cables include low-, medium- and high-voltage power distribution and power transmission products. Electrical wire and cable products conduct electrical current for industrial, commercial and residential power and control applications.

The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA), headquartered in Seattle, is the largest aerospace company in the world and the United States' leading exporter. It is the world's largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft, and the largest NASA contractor. The company's capabilities in aerospace also include rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, rocket engines, launch vehicles, and advanced information and communication systems. The company has an extensive global reach with customers in 145 countries and manufacturing operations throughout the United States, Canada and Australia.

Statements in this press release, other than historical facts, are forward-looking statements including without limitation, statements regarding future financial results and performance, plans and objectives, capital expenditures and the Company's or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions. Actual results may differ materially from those statements as a result of factors, risks and uncertainties over which the Company has no control. Such factors include domestic and local country price competition, particularly in certain segments of the power cable, building wire and cordset markets, and other competitive pressures; general economic conditions, particularly in construction; changes in customer purchasing patterns; the Company's ability to increase manufacturing capacity and productivity; the Company's ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions and divestitures; the cost of raw materials, including copper; the impact of foreign currency fluctuations; the impact of technological changes; the Company's ability to achieve productivity improvements; and other factors which are discussed in the Company's Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2001, as well as periodic reports filed with the Commission.