(17/11/2004) Record orders for Rhodotrons in sterilization First order for an X-Ray system

November 17, 2004 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, November 17, 2004 - IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.: Reuters IOBAt.BR and Bloomberg IBAB.BB) has announced today that it has received this year close to EUR 20 million of orders for 5 Rhodotron based systems, making it the most successful year ever for Electron-Beam systems sales in the industry. One of the orders relates to the first dedicated X-Ray based sterilization system. Four E-Beam systems Rhodotrons are electricity based systems allowing very efficient sterilization of medical devices, pasteurization of food, improvement of polymer materials and of many other materials. Three of the four units sold for use in E-Beam mode will be delivered to an Asian manufacturer for an E-Beam sterilization application. The 4th unit will be delivered to Sterigenics International, Inc., the largest sterilization and ionization service company in the world, for its new Chinese facility in Shanghai. "We are satisfied with the performances of our Rhodotron in Moerdrup (Denmark)", says Marc Markey, Deputy CEO of Sterigenics. "To provide our customers record turn-around times thanks to the unique flexibility and capacity of the Rhodotron, it was natural to duplicate this facility when we decided to open a new facility in China". First X-Ray system The Rhodotron TT1000, IBA's latest development and by far the most powerful accelerator for sterilization and ionization applications in the world (700 kW), is finally enabling the use of electron accelerators for industrial X-Ray sterilization. X-Ray has the same properties as Cobalt based sterilization, a technology used in over 40 % of the sterilization service centers in operation today. The first unit is planned to be installed in Fleurus, Belgium, at a Sterigenics facility. "We are the market leader in contract sterilization, and we are very excited to be the first to offer high volume, X-Ray processing capability in the market place", said Dave Meyer, CEO. "With the expansion of our Fleurus facility, we will improve our sterilization service offering to our European customers by providing them greater flexibility and faster product turn times". With these new orders, IBA comforts its leadership position in the field of complete solutions for industrial sterilization and ionization. IBA is not only in a unique position to provide its customers with the benefits that only high power E-Beam and X-Ray systems can provide; it is also the only company in that field able to match its technology advantage with an unmatched experience in engineering consultancy and ability to optimize the process efficiency of its customers. "This wave of successes strengthens our strategic decision to focus on our field of expertise, which is to develop unique electron-based integrated solutions for sterilization and ionization", commented Jean-Louis Bol, President for IBA E-Beam & X-Ray business unit. "We are very excited about the prospects of our unique technology and system integration and this renewed capability to satisfy the needs of our customers". About IBA IBA delivers efficient, dependable solutions of a unique precision in the fields of cancer diagnosis and therapy and in the field of sterilization and ionization. The company is listed on the pan-European stock exchange EURONEXT and is integrated into the NextEconomy market segment. IBA S.A. Ion Beam Applications Chemin du Cyclotron, 3 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve - Belgium Website: http://www.iba-worlwide.com Contact Paul-Emmanuel Goethals Business Development & Investor Relations Manager Phone: +32 10 47 58 16 E-Mail: goethals@iba.be IBA SA - Registered Office : Chemin du Cyclotron, 3 - 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium Tel.: +32 10 47 58 11 Fax: +32 10 47 58 10 E-Mail : info-worldwide@iba.be Website: http://www.iba-worldwide.com RC Nivelles 54589 VAT: BE428.750.985 © CompanynewsGroup