A privately owned management group, in conjunction with an outside investor, has purchased the Minneapolis Division of Hosokawa Bepex from Hosokawa Micron Corp., Osaka, Japan. The new company, Bepex International LLC, is a supplier of particle processing technology, equipment and services, and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. The purchase is effective November 19, 2004. Bepex has been a member of Hosokawa Micron since 1992. Originally founded in 1976 as a manufacturer of thermal processing, agglomeration and size reduction equipment, Bepex will continue that business with the purchase from Hosokawa Micron. "Our focus with the new Bepex will be on our expertise in process technology," said Ralph Imholte, president, Bepex International. "In addition to engineering and project management, our Minneapolis facility includes a world class pilot plant capable of a wide variety of process development and optimization projects."

For more information, call (612) 331-4370, fax (612) 627-1444 or visit http://www.bepex.com.