CORNING, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) has approved a capital investment plan to increase the company’s light-duty filter capacity in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The $44 million investment will be part of Corning’s previously announced 2010-2011 capital expenditures. This expansion, which is expected to begin early production in the second half of 2011, will increase the company’s capacity to manufacture current and future generations of light-duty diesel DuraTrap^® AT filters.

“Tighter emissions regulations continue to drive demand for diesel emissions control systems,” said Thomas R. Hinman, senior vice president of Corning Environmental Technologies. “Currently, more than 50 percent of the passenger cars in Europe are diesel. By 2011, all diesel passenger cars and light commercial vehicles will be equipped with a filter. By expanding our light-duty diesel capabilities, we will be better positioned to meet increased demand from customers in Europe and around the world.”

In addition, the company recently announced it will expand its Corning Shanghai Company Limited automotive substrate facility. This expansion is expected to be operational in the second half of 2012. The Shanghai investment is part of the company’s previously announced 2011 capital expenditures.

Corning diesel filters are used in emission control systems to remove particulate matter (soot) from vehicle exhaust. These wall-flow filters collect soot particles using a cellular ceramic structure with alternating channels open at the inlet and plugged on the outlet of the filter. Periodically the filter is regenerated to consume the soot and clean the filter.

Corning is a leading supplier of advanced cellular ceramic substrates and diesel particulate filters for the world's major manufacturers of gasoline and diesel engines. The company invented an economical, high-performance, cellular ceramic substrate in the early 1970s that is now the standard for catalytic converters worldwide. In 1978, Corning developed the cellular ceramic particulate filter to remove soot from diesel emissions. Corning continues to leverage its expertise in materials, processes and manufacturing to develop advanced ceramic substrates and diesel particulate filters that help meet demanding mobile emissions requirements.

About Corning Incorporated

Corning Incorporated (www.corning.com) is the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics. Drawing on more than 150 years of materials science and process engineering knowledge, Corning creates and makes keystone components that enable high-technology systems for consumer electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications and life sciences. Our products include glass substrates for LCD televisions, computer monitors and laptops; ceramic substrates and filters for mobile emission control systems; optical fiber, cable, hardware & equipment for telecommunications networks; optical biosensors for drug discovery; and other advanced optics and specialty glass solutions for a number of industries including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy and metrology.

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