Alain Belda Quotations

Earnings were up 6 percent from the first quarter, making the second quarter of 2000 Alcoa's eighth consecutive quarter of improved earnings,

This venture deepens our investment in expanding our flat-rolled products capabilities globally and increases our manufacturing flexibility and productivity.

We have an aggressive productivity program, but it has not offset the impact of escalating costs in energy and raw materials and the speed at which they are flowing through.

A reduced upstream pricing environment and higher energy costs affected out results this quarter.

If economic trends solidify, we should continue to see improving profitability over the second half of the year, even at current aluminum prices,

Despite significantly higher energy prices which offset more favorable metal prices, we achieved solid cost savings results from the restructuring undertaken over the last two years...,

Despite increasing softness in the construction, transportation, building, and distribution markets, as well as significantly higher energy prices, Alcoa achieved record performance as a result of rapid integration of new acquisitions and execution of its cost-cutting initiative,

It was a great quarter by any measure. We did not have significant one-time effects as we did throughout the year last year.

While we are still fighting inflationary pressures, cost increases have slowed from last year, and our restructuring and efficiency initiatives have helped strengthen profitability.

While we are not pleased with the short term impact the labor issues have had on our bottom line, our actions are aimed at enhanced global competitiveness of our North American operations,