News Releases

News releases are an important way of communicating new products, services and related items that are of potential interest to our stakeholders - customers, distributors, investors, suppliers and employees.

Nordson issues dozens of news releases each year. News releases are an important way of communicating new products, services and related items that are of potential interest to our stakeholders - customers, distributors, investors, suppliers and employees. In most cases, news releases should also serve the purpose of communicating and reinforcing Nordson's brand promise: Nordson delivers precision technology solutions that help customers succeed worldwide.

Businesses issuing news releases should read and be familiar with Nordson's Investor, Media and Government Communication policy. Any news release being issued via a news wire (see section below) should be reviewed by Corporate Communications.

Header Section
The header section contains the For Release line and Contact Information. For Release indicates the time the release is to be made public. This is usually IMMEDIATELY. The contact person listed should be able to help a journalist or customer get answers to questions. The contact person does not need to know the answers to every question, only the place to find those answers. One contact is usually sufficient and no more than two should ever be listed. If the news release is being written in conjunction with a third party such as a customer, it may be helpful to include a contact from that third party.

Headlines
Because the headline is sometimes the only part of the news release that gets used by a media outlet, it needs to make a compelling statement that can stand alone. In general, a headline should be a self contained unit that conveys how a Nordson product or service is providing a precision solution that helps a customer succeed.

The following words should be considered when constructing headlines:

The following table provides examples of poor and improved headlines.

Lead Paragraph
Like the headline, the lead paragraph of a news release is of vital importance because it is sometimes the only part of a news release that is used by a media outlet. The lead paragraph must begin with the city, state, country and the date. It should echo the headline and include slightly more detail if appropriate. It should convey how Nordson is delivering a precision solution that is helping a customer be more successful.

Body Copy
Body copy should contain other points of interest about the product or service, in descending order of importance. Remember to tie features to customer advantages and benefits. Avoid using technical jargon.

Quotes
Sometimes, a quote provides additional information, color or credibility to a news release. The person quoted should be someone who provides authority to the news you are reporting. The quote should again tie back to the Nordson brand promise of precision solutions that help customers succeed.

EXAMPLE: "The proprietary technology in this new powder paint system allows customers to switch colors much faster than competing systems," said Nordson Design Engineer John Doe.

A customer quote is the most compelling of all because it is a third party endorsement. Be sure to get a customer's approval in writing before using their name in a news release.

EXAMPLE: "Nordson ASYMTEK's automated solution has allowed us to double our output," said Jane Jones, Plant Manager for XYZ Telecomm.

Additional Information
Every news release should contain information about how to learn more about the product or service. This may be a link to a web page, an e-mail or phone number, or other appropriate information.

Closing
Every Nordson news release should end with two pieces of information - one optional and one required.

1. Business Unit Information (Optional) - If helpful, a news release may include a description of the specific business unit issuing the news. Business units that are branded Nordson may be described at the segment level (Adhesive Dispensing Systems or Industrial Coating and Automotive Systems), but should not be described at lower levels (i.e. "the nonwovens business," packaging, container, etc.) Business units with approved sub-brands should always use the full name (Nordson EFD, Nordson DAGE, etc.) in their description instead of simply "EFD" or "DAGE."
   
   Following are examples (again optional):
   
   Nordson's Industrial Coating and Automotive Systems segment provides products and systems for coating and finishing applications in a wide variety of global end markets.
   
   Nordson EFD designs and manufactures precision dispensing devices for applying controlled amounts of the adhesives, sealants, lubricants and other assembly fluids used in almost every manufacturing process. Nordson EFD products are available through a worldwide network operating in over 30 countries.
   
   
2. Corporate Summary (Required) - The corporate summary gives readers a quick overview of the corporation. It must always include Nordson's publicly traded stock symbol. The current corporate summary is as follows:
   
   Nordson Corporation is an innovative precision technology company that leverages a scalable growth framework to deliver top-tier growth with leading margins and returns. The Company’s direct sales model and applications expertise serves global customers through a wide variety of critical applications. Its diverse end market exposure includes consumer non-durable, medical, electronics and industrial end markets.  Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, the Company has operations and support offices in over 35 countries.  Visit Nordson on the web at www.nordson.com, www.twitter.com/Nordson_Corp or www.facebook.com/nordson.
   
   

Photos
A compelling and high-quality photograph accompanying your news release can increase the chance of your news appearing in print. Most publications expect a high resolution image that is 300 dpi when sized at 5" x 7". Because of the large file size of high resolution images, most journalists prefer that you do not email them photos. Instead, you should offer the journalist a link to the image so that they may download it at their convenience.

Nordson Web Site
As a standard part of the distribution, all releases should be posted on the Nordson web site.

Templates
All news releases should use only the Nordson approved news release templates available on Nordson's brand management site. No new templates should be created. Consult Corporate Communications for special cases where it may be appropriate to include the logo of a customer or other business partner on the news release.

Third Party News Releases
All requests to include any Nordson business unit in any third-party news release (e.g. a supplier, customer, or business partner) should be reviewed with Corporate Communications. Again, all such press releases have potential corporate or cross business group implications.

News Wires

In general, any news release being issued via a wire service must be approved by Nordson's Corporate Communications department.

A "news wire" is a service used for the transmission of news to the media or to the public. In general, a news release can be submitted to a news wire which will then submit it electronically to a wide range of media outlets including newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites. These outlets may then choose (or not) to use the news release.

As of the writing of these guidelines, Nordson has an exclusive corporate arrangement with Business Wire (www.businesswire.com) for the dissemination of our news releases. Please contact Corporate Communications for details if you are not familiar with Business Wire to ensure you receive our corporate negotiated rate.

All news releases being considered for release via wire services, by any Nordson entity, should be reviewed with Corporate Communications at least 24 hours in advance. All wire releases have potential corporate or cross business group implications, which if not coordinated may prove damaging or embarrassing to Nordson business.

A review by Corporate Communications can also prevent the accidental or premature disclosure of material information or proprietary information. Information is material if its disclosure is likely to have an impact on Nordson's stock price or influence reasonable investors making investment decisions. Information is proprietary, in general, if it provides Nordson with a competitive advantage. All questions concerning disclosure of material or proprietary information should be referred to Nordson's Law and Corporate Communications Departments. Examples of material or proprietary information about Nordson include, but are not limited to:

• Announcements of earnings or losses, restatements, or a change in earnings forecast;
• A pending or prospective merger, acquisition, or tender offer;
• Significant contracts, partnerships or business alliances;
• The sale of significant assets or a significant subsidiary; and
• Major changes in senior management
• Market shares
• Specific customer sales volume
• Trade secrets