Robert Bosch GmbH becomes the first automotive sector company to join the AVX “Solutions for Hope” project

GREENVILLE, S.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aug. 16, 2012– AVX Corporation (NYSE:AVX), a leading manufacturer of advanced passive components and interconnect solutions, announced today that the major automotive supplier Robert Bosch GmbH, has joined the AVX “Solutions for Hope” Project.

We are very pleased to have Bosch, one of the world’s premier electronics suppliers to the automotive sector participate in our project said Peter Collis Vice President of the tantalum products.

The “Solutions for Hope Project,” established in July 2011, works with leading OEMs such as Motorola Solutions, Intel, and HP to deliver a “closed-pipe” process for delivering conflict-free tantalum material from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in accordance with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) due diligence guidelines and incorporating the independently-validated Electronic Industry Code of Conduct (EICC) and the GLOBAL e-SUSTANABILITY INITIATIVE (GeSI) Conflict-Free Smelter (CFS) program.

The “Solutions for Hope Project” remains the only project to exclusively utilize EICC/GeSI validated Conflict-Free Smelters for processing tantalum ore into capacitor-grade materials.

AVX is the first in its industry to validate a closed tantalum pipe process, assuring all products contain only conflict-free tantalum in accordance with the principles of the Dodd-Frank legislation and the current OECD guidelines.

“AVX will continue its leading role by working with a growing list of major electronics companies like, Robert Bosch GmbH in the Solutions for Hope program. This program demonstrates that verifiably conflict-free tantalum material can be mined and shipped in a manner that is reliable, sustainable and expandable, allowing the DRC to be utilized as a trusted regional source for responsible minerals,” said Bill Millman, Tantalum Divisional Director of Quality and Technology.

For further information on this project, please contact Bill Millman at AVX: +44 (0) 1803 697211 or conflict.free@eur.avx.com