1


    As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 7, 1997
                                                     Registration No. 333-______


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
                                                        
                        --------------------------------

                                    FORM S-8

            REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                       -------------------------------

                               QUANEX CORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

      DELAWARE                                        38-1872178
(State or other jurisdiction of                      (I.R.S Employer
incorporation or organization)                       Identification No.)

1900 WEST LOOP SOUTH, SUITE 1500
     HOUSTON, TEXAS                                       77027
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                (Zip Code)
                      


                           PIPER IMPACT 401(K) PLAN
                           (Full title of the plan)

                                 WAYNE M. ROSE
                               QUANEX CORPORATION
                        1900 WEST LOOP SOUTH, SUITE 1500
                              HOUSTON, TEXAS 77027
                    (Name and address of agent for service)

                                 (713) 961-4600
         (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                    -------------------------------------

                                 With Copy to:

                             Harva R. Dockery, Esq.
                          Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
                           1301 McKinney, Suite 5100
                           Houston, Texas 77010-3095
                                 (713) 651-5151

                       ---------------------------------

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
==================================================================================================================================== Proposed maximum Proposed maximum Amount of Amount to be offering price per aggregate offering registration Title of securities to be registered registered share(2) price(2) fee - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common Stock, $.50 par value . . . . . . 25,000 shares(1) $26.69 $667,250 $203 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rights to purchase shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock . . 25,000(1) ====================================================================================================================================
(1) Estimated number of shares of Common Stock and accompanying Rights that could be purchased with the participant contributions, based upon the price of the Common Stock set forth herein. (2) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act of 1933 and based upon the average of the high and low sales prices of a share of Common Stock as reported by the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. on March 3, 1997. In addition, pursuant to Rule 416(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement also covers an indeterminate amount of interests to be offered or sold pursuant to the Piper Impact 401(k) Plan described herein. ================================================================================ 2 PART II INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE. Quanex Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company" or "Registrant"), and the Piper Impact 401(k) Plan (the "Plan") incorporate by reference in this Registration Statement the following documents: 1. The Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 1996, and the Plan's latest annual report filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; 2. All other reports filed by the Registrant and the Plan pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 since October 31, 1996; 3. The description of the Registrant's common stock, $.50 par value (the "Common Stock"), contained in the Prospectus dated January 12, 1981, included in the Registrant's Registration Statement (Registration No. 2-70313) and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act of 1933; and 4. The description of the rights to purchase Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock (the "Rights") set forth in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Designation, Preferences and Rights, filed as Exhibit 1 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Form 8-A dated April 28, 1989. All documents filed by the Registrant or the Plan pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the date of the filing hereof and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. ITEM 4. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES. Not applicable. ITEM 5. INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL. Not applicable. ITEM 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS. Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware provides that a corporation has the power to indemnify a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation and certain other persons serving at the request of the corporation in related capacities against amounts paid and expenses incurred in connection with an action or proceeding to which he is, or is threatened to be made, a party by reason of II-1 3 ITEM 8. EXHIBITS. 4.1 Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, as amended on February 27, 1997. 4.2 Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant, as amended through December 12, 1996, filed as Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 1996, and incorporated herein by reference. 4.3 Form of Registrant's Common Stock certificate, filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 1987, and incorporated herein by reference. 4.4 Amended and Restated Rights Agreement between the Registrant and Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, as Rights Agent, filed as Exhibit 1 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Form 8-A dated April 28, 1989, and incorporated herein by reference. 4.5 Amended and Restated Certificate of Designation, Preferences and Rights of the Registrant's Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, filed as Exhibit 1 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Form 8-A dated April 28, 1989, and incorporated herein by reference. 4.6 Form of Indenture relating to the Registrant's 6.88% Cumulative Subordinated Debentures due 2007 between the Registrant and Chemical Bank, as Trustee, filed as Exhibit 19.2 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 1992, and incorporated herein by reference. 4.7 $250,000,000 Revolving Credit and Term Loan Agreement dated as of July 23, 1996, among the Registrant, Comerica Bank, as Agent, and Harris Trust and Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Bank (Texas), N.A., as Co-Agents, filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant's Report on Form 8-K, dated August 9, 1996, and incorporated herein by reference. 4.8 Piper Impact 401(k) Plan. 4.9 Form of Trust Agreement between Piper Impact, Inc. and Fidelity Management Trust Company dated as of March 5, 1997. 23.1 Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP. 24.1 Powers of Attorney (contained on pages II-6 and II-7 hereof). II-3 4 The Registrant hereby undertakes to submit the Plan, and any amendments thereto, to the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") in a timely manner and will make all changes required by the IRS in order to qualify the Plan. As permitted by Item 601(b)(4)(iii)(A) of Regulation S-K, the Registrant has not filed with this Registration Statement certain instruments defining the rights of holders of long-term debt of the Registrant and its subsidiaries because the total amount of securities authorized under any of such instruments does not exceed 10% of the total assets of the Registrant and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. The Registrant agrees to furnish a copy of any such agreements to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request. ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS. The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes: (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement: (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment hereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar volume of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the "Calculation of Registration Fee" table in the effective registration statement; and (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement; Provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i) and (1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement. (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. II-4 5 (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and each filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. II-5 6 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Houston, State of Texas, on February 27, 1997. QUANEX CORPORATION By: /s/ VERNON E. OECHSLE -------------------------------- Vernon E. Oechsle Director, President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) POWER OF ATTORNEY KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Robert C. Snyder, Vernon E. Oechsle and Wayne M. Rose, and each of them, either one of whom may act without joinder of the other, his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, or the substitute or substitutes of any or all of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature Title Date --------- ----- ---- /s/ ROBERT C. SNYDER Director and February 27, 1997 - -------------------------------- Chairman of the Board Robert C. Snyder /s/ VERNON E. OECHSLE Director, President and February 27, 1997 - -------------------------------- Chief Executive Officer Vernon E. Oechsle (Principal Executive Officer) /s/ JAMES H. DAVIS Executive Vice President and February 27, 1997 - -------------------------------- Chief Operating Officer James H. Davis (Principal Operating Officer)
7 /s/ CARL E. PFEIFFER Director February 27, 1997 - -------------------------------- Carl E. Pfeiffer /s/ GERALD B. HAECKEL Director February 27, 1997 - -------------------------------- Gerald B. Haeckel /s/ JOHN D. O'CONNELL Director February 27, 1997 - -------------------------------- John D. O'Connell /s/ DONALD G. BARGER, JR. Director February 27, 1997 - -------------------------------- Donald G. Barger, Jr. /s/ VINCENT R. SCORSONE Director February 27, 1997 - -------------------------------- Vincent R. Scorsone /s/ MICHAEL J. SEBASTIAN Director February 27, 1997 - -------------------------------- Michael J. Sebastian /s/ WAYNE M. ROSE Vice President-Finance and February 27, 1997 - -------------------------------- Chief Financial Officer Wayne M. Rose (Principal Financial Officer) /s/ VIREN M. PARIKH Controller February 27, 1997 - -------------------------------- (Principal Accounting Officer) Viren M. Parikh
II-7 8 The Plan. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Administrative Committee of the Plan has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned members of such committee, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Houston, State of Texas, on February 27, 1997. PIPER IMPACT 401(k) PLAN By: /s/ VERNON E. OECHSLE -------------------------------------- Vernon E. Oechsle By: /s/ JAMES H. DAVIS -------------------------------------- James H. Davis By: /s/ WAYNE M. ROSE -------------------------------------- Wayne M. Rose By: /s/ JOSEPH K. PEERY -------------------------------------- Joseph K. Peery II-8 9 EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit Number Description -------------- ---------------------------------------- 4.1 Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, as amended on February 27, 1997. 4.2 Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant, as amended through December 12, 1996, filed as Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 1996, and incorporated herein by reference. 4.3 Form of Registrant's Common Stock certificate, filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 1987, and incorporated herein by reference. 4.4 Amended and Restated Rights Agreement between the Registrant and Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, as Rights Agent, filed as Exhibit 1 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Form 8-A dated April 28, 1989, and incorporated herein by reference. 4.5 Amended and Restated Certificate of Designation, Preferences and Rights of the Registrant's Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, filed as Exhibit 1 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Form 8-A dated April 28, 1989, and incorporated herein by reference. 4.6 Form of Indenture relating to the Registrant's 6.88% Cumulative Subordinated Debentures due 2007 between the Registrant and Chemical Bank, as Trustee, filed as Exhibit 19.2 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 1992, and incorporated herein by reference. 4.7 $250,000,000 Revolving Credit and Term Loan Agreement dated as of July 23, 1996, among the Registrant, Comerica Bank, as Agent, and Harris Trust and Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Bank (Texas), N.A., as Co-Agents, filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant's Report on Form 8-K, dated August 9, 1996, and incorporated herein by reference. 4.8 Piper Impact 401(k) Plan. 4.9 Form of Trust Agreement between Piper Impact, Inc. and Fidelity Management Trust Company dated as of March 5, 1997. 23.1 Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP.
10 24.1 Powers of Attorney (contained on pages II-6 and II-7 hereof). As permitted by Item 601(b)(4)(iii)(A) of Regulation S-K, the Registrant has not filed with this Registration Statement certain instruments defining the rights of holders of long-term debt of the Registrant and its subsidiaries because the total amount of securities authorized under any of such instruments does not exceed 10% of the total assets of the Registrant and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. The Registrant agrees to furnish a copy of any such agreements to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request.
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                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.1
                               QUANEX CORPORATION

                            CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT

                                       TO

                     RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION


         Quanex Corporation, a corporation organized and existing under and by
virtue of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the "Company"),
does hereby certify:

         FIRST:       That the Board of Directors of the Company, at a meeting
duly called and held on December 12, 1996, adopted resolutions proposing and
declaring advisable the following amendment to the Restated Certificate of
Incorporation of the Company and directed that such amendment be considered at
the next annual meeting of stockholders of the Company:

         To amend the first paragraph of Article Fourth of the Restated
Certificate of Incorporation in its entirety to read as follows:

                "FOURTH:          The total number of shares of all classes of
         stock which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is Fifty-One
         Million (51,000,000), of which Fifty Million (50,000,000) shall be
         shares of Common Stock, par value Fifty Cents ($.50) per share, and of
         which One Million (1,000,000) shares shall be Preferred Stock, no par
         value."

         SECOND:      That at the annual meeting of stockholders of the Company
duly called and held on February 27, 1997, in accordance with Section 222 of
the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, the holders of a majority
of the shares of Common Stock of the Company entitled to vote on such amendment
voted in favor of such amendment.

         THIRD:       That the aforesaid amendment was duly adopted in
accordance with the applicable provisions of Section 242 of the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

         IN WITNESS WHERETO, the Company has caused this Certificate of
Amendment to be signed by Wayne M. Rose, its Vice President-Finance and Chief
Financial Officer, this 27th day of February, 1997.

                                    
                                        QUANEX CORPORATION
                                    
                                    
                                        By:    /s/ Wayne M. Rose             
                                           -------------------------------------
                                                   Wayne M. Rose
                                            Vice President-Finance and
                                             Chief Financial Officer
                                    
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                              RESTATED CERTIFICATE
                                       OF
                                 INCORPORATION
                                       OF
                               QUANEX CORPORATION


         The original Certificate of Incorporation of Quanex Corporation (the
"Company") was filed with the Delaware Secretary of State on June 3, 1968 under
the name of Michigan Seamless Tube Company.  On August 24, 1995 the Board of
Directors of the Company duly adopted resolutions authorizing the restatement
and integration of the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation of the
Company and authorizing the filing of this Restated Certificate of
Incorporation in accordance with Section 245 of the General Corporation Law of
the State of Delaware.  This Restated Certificate of Incorporation only
restates and integrates and does not further amend any of the provisions of the
Certificate of Incorporation of the Company presently in effect and there is no
discrepancy between the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation of the
Company as presently in effect and the provisions of this Restated Certificate
of Incorporation.

         The following Restated Certificate of Incorporation supersedes the
Certificate of Incorporation of the Company as presently in effect:

         FIRST:       The name of the Corporation is

                               QUANEX CORPORATION

         SECOND:      Its registered office in the state of Delaware is located
at Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801.
The name and address of its registered agent is The Corporation Trust Company,
Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801.

         THIRD:       The nature of the business, or objects or purposes to be
transacted, promoted or carried on are:

         To manufacture and fabricate tubing and pipe of every type and
         character, seamless, non-seamless, metal or non-metal, and of every
         size and description, of every shape and form, and to buy, sell, and
         trade in tubing and pipe and products made thereof, in whole or in
         part, and in any and all materials used or required in connection with
         the production and marketing of such products; to manufacture,
         deliver, buy, sell, deal in and with machines and equipment, tools,
         dies, fixtures, goods, wares, and merchandise and property of every
         kind and description.

         To establish, maintain, conduct and carry on a general merchandising
         business; and in conjunction therewith to produce, buy, import,
         purchase and otherwise acquire, contract for, own, store, hold, use,
         sell, export, distribute, lease, pledge and otherwise dispose of and
         generally deal in and with, at wholesale or retail, as principal or
         agent for others, upon





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         commission, consignment or otherwise, goods, wares, commodities,
         merchandise and personal property of every class, name, nature and
         description.

         To import, export, manufacture, produce, buy, sell and otherwise deal
         in and with, goods, wares and merchandise of every class and
         description.

         To manufacture, purchase or otherwise acquire, invest in, own,
         mortgage, pledge, sell, assign and transfer or otherwise dispose of,
         trade, deal in and deal with goods, wares and merchandise and personal
         property of every class and description.

         To acquire, and pay for in cash, stock or bonds of this corporation or
         otherwise, the good will, rights, assets and property, and to
         undertake or assume the whole or any part of the obligations or
         liabilities of any person, firm, association or corporation.

         To acquire, hold, use, sell, assign, lease, grant licenses in respect
         of, mortgage or otherwise dispose of letters patent of the United
         States or any foreign country, patent rights, licenses and privileges,
         inventions, improvements and processes, copyrights, trade-marks and
         trade names, relating to or useful in connection with any business of
         this corporation.

         To acquire by purchase, subscription or otherwise, and to receive,
         hold, own, guarantee, sell, assign, exchange, transfer, mortgage,
         pledge or otherwise dispose of or deal in and with any of the shares
         of the capital stock, or any voting trust certificates in respect of
         the shares of capital stock, scrip, warrants, rights, bonds,
         debentures, notes, trust receipts, and other securities, obligations,
         chooses in action and evidences of indebtedness or interest issued or
         created by any corporations, joint stock companies, syndicates,
         associations, firms, trusts or persons, public or private, or by the
         government of the United States of America, or by any foreign
         government, or by any state, territory, province, municipality or
         other political subdivision or by any governmental agency, and as
         owner thereof to possess and exercise all the rights, powers and
         privileges of ownership, including the right to execute consents and
         vote thereon, and to do any and all acts and things necessary or
         advisable for the preservation, protection, improvement and
         enhancement in value thereof.

         To enter into, make and perform contracts of every kind and
         description with any person, firm, association, corporation,
         municipality, county, state, body politic or government or colony or
         dependency thereof.

         To borrow or raise moneys for any of the purposes of the corporation
         and, from time to time without limit as to amount, to draw, make,
         accept, endorse, execute and issue promissory notes, drafts, bills of
         exchange, warrants, bonds, debentures and other negotiable or
         non-negotiable instruments and evidences of indebtedness, and to
         secure the payment of





                                      -2-
   4
         any thereof and of the interest thereon by mortgage upon or pledge,
         conveyance or assignment in trust of the whole or any part of the
         property of the corporation, whether at the time owned or thereafter
         acquired, and to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of such bonds or
         other obligations of the corporation for its corporate purposes.

         To loan to any person, firm or corporation any of its surplus funds,
         either with or without security.

         To purchase, hold, sell and transfer the shares of its own capital
         stock; provided it shall not use its funds or property for the
         purchase of its own shares of capital stock when such use would cause
         any impairment of its capital except as otherwise permitted by law,
         and provided further that shares of its own capital stock belonging to
         it shall not be voted upon directly or indirectly.

         To have one or more offices, to carry on all or any of its operations
         and business and without restriction or limit as to amount to purchase
         or otherwise acquire, hold, own, mortgage, sell, convey or otherwise
         dispose of, real and personal property of every class and description
         in any of the states, districts, territories or colonies of the United
         States, and in any and all foreign countries, subject to the laws of
         such state, district, territory, colony or country.

         In general, to carry on any other business in connection with the
         foregoing, and to have and exercise all the powers conferred by the
         laws of Delaware upon corporations formed under the General
         Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, and to do any or all of the
         things hereinbefore set forth to the same extent as natural persons
         might or could do.

         The objects and purposes specified in the foregoing clauses shall,
except where otherwise expressed, be in nowise limited or restricted by
reference to, or inference from, the terms of any other clause in this Restated
Certificate of Incorporation, but the objects and purposes specified in each of
the foregoing clauses of this Article shall be regarded as independent objects
and purposes.

         FOURTH:      The total number of shares of all classes of stock which
the Corporation shall have authority to issue is Twenty-Six Million
(26,000,000), of which Twenty-Five Million (25,000,000) shall be shares of
Common Stock, par value Fifty Cents ($.50) per share, and of which One Million
(1,000,000) shares shall be Preferred Stock, no par value.

         Any amendment to this Restated Certificate of Incorporation which
shall increase or decrease the authorized stock of the corporation may be
adopted by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding
shares of stock of the corporation entitled to vote.





                                      -3-
   5
         The designations and the powers, preferences and rights, and the
qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, of the Preferred Stock
shall be as follows:

                      (1)         The Board of Directors is expressly
         authorized at any time, and from time to time, to provide for the
         issuance of shares of Preferred Stock in one or more series, with such
         voting powers, full or limited but not to exceed one vote per share,
         or without voting powers and with such designations, preferences and
         relative, participating, optional or other special rights, and
         qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, as shall be
         stated and expressed in the resolution or resolutions providing for
         the issue thereof adopted by the Board of Directors, and as are not
         stated and expressed in this Restated Certificate of Incorporation, or
         any amendment thereto, including (but without limiting the generality
         of the foregoing) the following:

                          (a)     the designation of such series;

                          (b)     the dividend rate of such series, the
                      conditions and dates upon which such dividends shall be
                      payable, the preference or relation which such dividends
                      shall bear to the dividends payable on any other class or
                      classes or of any other series of capital stock, and
                      whether such dividends shall be cumulative or
                      non-cumulative;

                          (c)     whether the shares of such series shall be
                      subject to redemption by the corporation, and, if made
                      subject to such redemption, the times, prices and other
                      terms and conditions of such redemption;

                          (d)     the terms and amount of any sinking fund
                      provided for the purchase or redemption of the shares of
                      such series;

                          (e)     whether or not the shares of such series
                      shall be convertible into or exchangeable for shares of
                      any other class or classes or of any other series of any
                      class or classes of capital stock of the corporation,
                      and, if provision be made for conversion or exchange, the
                      times, prices, rates, adjustments, and other terms and
                      conditions of such conversion or exchanges;

                          (f)     the extent, if any, to which the holders of
                      the shares of such series shall be entitled to vote as a
                      class or otherwise with respect to the election of the
                      directors or otherwise; provided, however, that in no
                      event shall any holder of any series of Preferred





                                      -4-
   6
                      Stock be entitled to more than one vote for each share of
                      such Preferred Stock held by him;

                          (g)     the restrictions, if any, on the issue or
                      reissue of any additional Preferred Stock; and

                          (h)     the rights of the holders of the shares of
                      such series upon the dissolution of, or upon the
                      distribution of assets of, the corporation.

                      (2)         Except as otherwise required by law and
         except for such voting powers with respect to the election of
         directors or other matters as may be stated in the resolutions of the
         Board of Directors creating any series of Preferred Stock, the holders
         of any such series shall have no voting power whatsoever.

         Pursuant to the authority conferred upon the Board of Directors by the
Certificate of Incorporation of the said Corporation, the said Board of
Directors on April 26, 1989, adopted the resolution set forth on Exhibit A to
this Restated Certificate of Incorporation amending and restating the
preferences and rights of a series of 150,000 shares of Preferred Stock, no par
value, designated as Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock.

         FIFTH:       The corporation is to have perpetual existence.

         SIXTH:       The private property of the stockholders shall not be
subject to the payment of corporate debts to any extent whatever.

         SEVENTH:     In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers
conferred by statute, the Board of Directors is expressly authorized:

         To authorize and cause to be executed mortgages and liens upon the
         real and personal property of the Corporation.

         To set apart out of any of the funds of the Corporation available for
         dividends a reserve or reserves for any proper purpose and to abolish
         any such reserve in the manner in which it was created.

         By resolution passed by a majority of the whole Board, to designate
         one or more committees, each committee to consist of two or more of
         the directors of the Corporation, which, to the extent provided in the
         resolution or in the bylaws of the Corporation, shall have and may
         exercise the powers of the Board of Directors in the management of the
         business and affairs of the Corporation, and may authorize the seal of
         the Corporation to be affixed to all papers which may require it.
         Such committee or committees shall have such name or names as may be
         stated in the bylaws of the Corporation or as may be determined from
         time to time by resolution adopted by the board of directors.





                                      -5-
   7
         EIGHTH:      Meetings of stockholders may be held outside the State of
Delaware, if the bylaws so provide.  The books of the corporation may be kept
(subject to any provision contained in the statutes) outside the State of
Delaware at such place or places as may be designated from time to time by the
board of directors or in the bylaws of the corporation.  Elections of directors
need not be by ballot unless the bylaws of the corporation shall so provide.

         NINTH:       The corporation reserves the right to amend, alter,
change or repeal any provision contained in this Restated Certificate of
Incorporation, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by statute, and all
rights conferred upon stockholders herein are granted subject to this
reservation.

         TENTH:       Whenever a compromise or arrangement is proposed between
this corporation and its creditors or any class of them and/or between this
corporation and its stockholders or any class of them, any court of equitable
jurisdiction within the State of Delaware may, on the application in a summary
way of this corporation or of any creditor or stockholder thereof or on the
application of any receiver or receivers appointed for this corporation under
the provisions of section 291 of Title 8 of the Delaware Code or on the
application of trustees in dissolution or of any receiver or receivers
appointed for this corporation under the provisions of section 279 of Title 8
of the Delaware Code order a meeting of the creditors or class of creditors,
and/or of the stockholders or class of stockholders of this corporation, as the
case may be, to be summoned in such manner as the said court directs.  If a
majority in number representing three-fourths in value of the creditors or
class of creditors, and/or of the stockholders or class of stockholders of this
corporation, as the case may be, agree to any compromise or arrangement and to
any reorganization of this corporation as consequence of such compromise or
arrangement, the said compromise or arrangement and the said reorganization
shall, if sanctioned by the court to which the said application has been made,
be binding on all the creditors or class of creditors, and/or on all the
stockholders or class of stockholders, of this corporation, as the case may be,
and also on this corporation.

         ELEVENTH: The Board of Directors shall be divided into three classes
as nearly equal in number as possible, with the term of office of one class
expiring each year.  At the annual meeting of stockholders in 1974, directors
of the first class shall be elected to hold office for a term expiring at the
next succeeding annual meeting, directors of the second class shall be elected
to hold office for a term expiring at the second succeeding annual meeting and
directors of the third class shall be elected to hold office for a term
expiring at the third succeeding annual meeting.  During the intervals between
annual meetings of stockholders, any vacancy occurring in the Board of
Directors caused by resignation, removal, death, or other incapacity and any
newly created directorships resulting from an increase in the number of
directors shall be filled by a majority vote of the directors then in office,
whether or not a quorum.  Each director chosen to fill a vacancy shall hold
office for the unexpired term in respect of which such vacancy occurred.  Each
director chosen to fill a newly created directorship shall hold office until
the next election of the class for which such director shall have been chosen.
When the number of directors is changed, any newly created directorships





                                      -6-
   8
or any decreases in directorships shall be so apportioned among the classes as
to make all classes as nearly equal in number as possible.

         Any director may be removed from office as a director at any time, but
only for cause, by the affirmative vote of stockholders of record holding a
majority of the outstanding shares of stock of the corporation entitled to vote
in elections of directors at a meeting of the stockholders called for that
purpose.

         TWELFTH:     (A) Except as set forth in paragraph (B) of this Article,
the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of not less than four-fifths
(80%) of the outstanding shares of stock of this corporation (the
"Corporation") entitled to vote in elections of directors, voting for purposes
of this Article as one class, shall be required:

         (1)          to adopt any agreement for, or to approve, the merger or
                      consolidation of the Corporation or any subsidiary (as
                      hereinafter defined) with or into any other person (as
                      hereinafter defined),

         (2)          to authorize any sale, lease, transfer, exchange,
                      mortgage, pledge or other disposition to any other person
                      of all or substantially all of the assets of the
                      Corporation or any subsidiary, or

         (3)          to authorize the issuance or transfer by the Corporation
                      or any subsidiary of any voting securities of the
                      Corporation or any subsidiary in exchange or payment for
                      the securities or assets of any other person, if such
                      authorization is otherwise required by law or by any
                      agreement between the Corporation and any national
                      securities exchange or by any other agreement to which
                      the Corporation or any subsidiary is a party, if, in any
                      such case, as of the record date for the determination of
                      stockholders entitled to notice thereof and to vote
                      thereon or consent thereto, such other person is, or at
                      any time within the preceding twelve months has been, the
                      beneficial owner (as hereinafter defined) of 5 percent or
                      more of the outstanding shares of stock of the
                      Corporation entitled to vote in elections of directors.
                      If such other person is not, and has not been a 5 percent
                      beneficial owner, the provisions of this paragraph (A)
                      shall not apply, the provisions of Delaware law shall
                      apply.

         (B)          The provisions of paragraph (A) of this Article shall not
apply, and the provisions of Delaware law shall apply, to (1) any transaction
described therein if the Board of Directors by resolution shall have approved a
memorandum of understanding with such other person setting forth the principal
terms of such transaction and such transaction is substantially consistent
therewith, provided that a majority of those members of the Board of Directors
voting in favor of such resolution were duly elected and acting members of the
Board of Directors prior to the time such other person became the beneficial
owner of 5 percent or more of the outstanding shares of stock of





                                      -7-
   9
the Corporation entitled to vote in elections of directors; or (2) any
transaction described therein if such other person is a corporation of which a
majority of the outstanding shares of all classes of stock entitled to vote in
elections of directors is owned of record or beneficially by the Corporation or
its subsidiaries.

         (C)          The affirmative vote or consent of the holders of not
less than four-fifths (80%) of the outstanding shares of stock of the
Corporation entitled to vote in elections of directors, voting for purposes of
this Article as one class, shall be required for the adoption of any plan for
the dissolution of the Corporation if the Board of Directors shall not have, by
resolution, recommended to the stockholders the adoption of such plan for
dissolution of the Corporation.  If the Board of Directors shall have so
recommended to the stockholders such plan for dissolution of the Corporation,
the provisions of Delaware law shall apply.

         (D)          For purposes of this Article,

                      (1)         any specified person shall be deemed to be
         the "beneficial owner" of shares of stock of the Corporation (a) which
         such specified person or any of its affiliates or associates (as such
         terms are hereinafter defined) owns, directly or indirectly, whether
         of record or not, (b) which such specified person or any of its
         affiliates or associates has the right to acquire pursuant to any
         agreement, or upon exercise of conversion rights, warrants or options,
         or otherwise, or (c) which are beneficially owned, directly or
         indirectly (including shares deemed owned through application of
         clauses (a) and (b) above), by any other person with which such
         specified person or any of its affiliates or associates has any
         agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring,
         holding, voting or disposing of stock of the Corporation;

                      (2)         a "subsidiary" is any corporation more than
         49 percent of the voting securities of which are owned, directly or
         indirectly, by the Corporation;

                      (3)         a "person" is any individual, corporation or
         other entity;

                      (4)         an "affiliate" of a specified person is any
         person that directly, or indirectly through one or more
         intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common
         control with, the specified person; and

                      (5)         an "associate" of a specified person is (a)
         any person of which such specified person is an officer or partner or
         is, directly or indirectly, the beneficial owner of 10 percent or more
         of any class of equity securities, (b) any trust or other estate in
         which such specified person has a substantial beneficial interest or
         as to which such specified person serves as trustee or in a similar
         capacity, or (c) any relative or spouse of such specified person, or
         any relative of such spouse, who has the same home as such specified
         person or who is a director or officer of





                                      -8-
   10
         such specified person or any corporation which controls or is
         controlled by such specified person.

         (E)          For purposes of determining whether a person owns
beneficially 5 percent or more of the outstanding shares of stock of the
Corporation entitled to vote in elections of directors, the outstanding shares
of stock of the Corporation shall include shares deemed owned through
application of clauses (a), (b) or (c) of paragraph (D)(1) above but shall not
include any other shares which may be issuable pursuant to any agreement or
upon exercise of conversion rights, warrants or options, or otherwise.

         (F)          The Board of Directors shall have the power and duty to
determine, for purposes of this Article, on the basis of information known to
such Board,

                      (1)         whether any person referred to in paragraph
         (A) of this Article owns beneficially 5 percent or more of the
         outstanding shares of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote in
         elections of directors; and

                      (2)         whether a proposed transaction is
         substantially consistent with any memorandum of understanding of the
         character referred to in paragraph (B) of this Article.

         Any such determination shall be conclusive and binding for all
purposes of this Article.

         THIRTEENTH:  Notwithstanding the provisions of this Restated
Certificate of Incorporation and any provisions of the Bylaws of the
corporation, no amendment to this Restated Certificate of Incorporation shall
amend, modify or repeal any or all of the provisions of Article Eleventh,
Article Twelfth or this Article Thirteenth of this Restated Certificate of
Incorporation, and the stockholders of the corporation shall not have the right
to amend, modify or repeal any or all provisions of the Bylaws of the
corporation relating to the number or term of office of directors, unless so
adopted by the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of not less than
four-fifths (80%) of the outstanding shares of stock of the corporation
entitled to vote in elections of directors, considered for purposes of this
Article as a class; provided, however, that in the event the Board of Directors
of the corporation shall by resolution adopted by a majority of the then
directors in office recommend to the stockholders the adoption of any such
amendment, the stockholders of record holding a majority of the outstanding
shares of stock of the corporation entitled to vote in elections of directors
may amend, modify or repeal any or all of such provisions.

         FOURTEENTH:  (A) Except as set forth in paragraph (3) of this Article,
notwithstanding any other provision of law or requirement of these Articles,
the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of all of the outstanding
shares of the capital stock of this Corporation (the "Corporation") entitled to
vote generally in the election of directors ("Voting Stock"), voting for the
purposes of this Article as one class, other than holders who are Related
Holders (as hereinafter defined), or Affiliates (as





                                      -9-
   11
hereinafter defined) or Associates (as hereinafter defined) of the Related
Holder, shall be required

                      (1)         to adopt any agreement for, or to approve,
                      the merger or consolidation of the Corporation or any
                      Subsidiary (as hereinafter defined) with or into any
                      Related Holder or any Affiliate of a Related Holder; or

                      (2)         to authorize or approve any sale, lease,
                      transfer, exchange, mortgage, pledge or other disposition
                      (in one transaction or a series of transactions) to any
                      Related Holder or any Affiliate of a Related Holder of
                      any assets of the Corporation or any Subsidiary, having
                      an aggregate Fair Market Value (as hereinafter defined)
                      of $5,000,000 or more; or

                      (3)         to authorize or approve the issuance or
                      transfer by the Corporation or any Subsidiary of any
                      Voting Stock of the Corporation or any Subsidiary in
                      exchange or payment for securities or other assets of any
                      Related Holder or any Affiliate of a Related Holder,
                      which securities or assets have an aggregate Fair Market
                      Value of $5,000,000 or more; or

                      (4)         to adopt any plan or proposal for the
                      liquidation or dissolution of the Corporation proposed by
                      or on behalf of any Related Holder or any Affiliate of a
                      Related Holder; or

                      (5)         to authorize or approve the reclassification
                      of securities (including any reverse stock split), or
                      recapitalization of the Corporation, or any merger or
                      consolidation of the Corporation with any of its
                      Subsidiaries or any other transaction (whether or not
                      with or into or otherwise involving any Related Holder)
                      which has the effect, directly or indirectly, of
                      increasing the proportionate share of the outstanding
                      shares of any class of equity securities or securities
                      convertible into equity securities of the Corporation or
                      any Subsidiary which is directly or indirectly owned by
                      any Related Holder or any Affiliate of a Related Holder;
                      if there is a Related Holder as of the date in question
                      regarding any transaction described in this paragraph (A)
                      or immediately prior to the consummation of any
                      transaction described in this paragraph (A).

         (B)          The provisions of paragraph (A) of this Article shall not
apply to transactions set forth below in Sections (1), (2) and (3) of this
paragraph (B) and such transactions shall require only such affirmative vote as
is otherwise required by law or any other provision of this Certificate of
Incorporation:

         (1)          any transaction described in paragraph (A) of this
         Article, if the Board of Directors by resolution shall have approved a
         memorandum of understanding with such Related Holder, or such
         Affiliate of such Related Holder, setting forth





                                      -10-
   12
         the principal terms of such transaction and such transaction is
         effected on terms substantially consistent with such memorandum of
         understanding, provided that a majority of the Continuing Directors
         (as hereinafter defined) vote in favor of such resolution; or

         (2)          any transaction described in subparagraphs (A)(1),
         (A)(2), (A)(3) and (A)(4) of this Article, if such Related Holder, or
         such Affiliate of such Related Holder, is a corporation of which a
         majority of the outstanding shares of each class of Voting Stock is
         owned of record or beneficially by the Corporation or its
         Subsidiaries; or

         (3)          any transaction described in paragraph (a) of this
         Article, if the aggregate amount of the cash and the Fair Market Value
         of consideration other than cash to be received per share by holders
         of common, preferred or preference stock in such transactions shall be
         at least equal to the higher of the following:

                      (a)         with respect to common, preferred or
                      preference stock, the highest per share price (including
                      any brokerage commissions, transfer taxes and soliciting
                      dealers fees) paid or agreed to be paid by such Related
                      Holder to acquire beneficial ownership of any shares of
                      such series or class of stock, within the three-year
                      period immediately prior to the date of the first public
                      announcement of the proposed transaction described in
                      paragraph (A);

                      (b)         the highest closing per share price of
                      common, preferred or preference stock, during the
                      three-month period immediately preceding the date of the
                      first public announcement off the proposed transaction
                      described in paragraph (A);

                      (c)         with respect to preferred or preference
                      stock, if the highest preferential amount per share of a
                      series of preferred or preference stock to which the
                      holders thereof would be entitled in the event of any
                      voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or
                      winding-up of the affairs of the Corporation (regardless
                      of whether the transaction, as described in paragraph
                      (A), to be consummated constitutes such an event) is
                      greater than the aggregate amount to which the holders
                      thereof would be entitled pursuant to subparagraphs
                      (B)(3)(a) or (b), holders of such series of preferred or
                      preference stock shall receive an amount for each such
                      share at least equal to the highest preferential amount
                      applicable to such series of preferred or preference
                      stock;

         except that if at any time after a Related Holder becomes such, if any
         of the following events shall occur which are not approved by a
         majority of the Continuing Directors, the provisions of this paragraph
         (B)(3) shall not apply and the provisions of paragraph (A) shall
         apply:





                                      -11-
   13
                      (1)         any failure to declare and pay at the regular
                      date therefor any full quarterly dividend (whether or not
                      cumulative) on outstanding preferred or preference stock;
                      or

                      (2)         any reduction on the annual rate of dividends
                      paid on the common stock (except as necessary to reflect
                      any subdivision of the common stock); or

                      (3)         any failure to increase the annual rate of
                      dividends paid on the common stock as necessary to
                      reflect any reclassification (including any reverse stock
                      split), recapitalization, reorganization or any similar
                      transaction that has the effect of reducing the number of
                      outstanding shares of the common stock; or

                      (4)         the receipt by the Related Holder, after such
                      Related Holder has become a Related Holder, of a direct
                      or indirect benefit (except proportionately as a
                      shareholder) from any loans, advances, guarantees,
                      pledges or other financial assistance or any tax credits
                      or other tax advantages provided by the Corporation or
                      any Subsidiary of the Corporation, whether in
                      anticipation of or in connection with a transaction
                      described in paragraph (A) or otherwise.

         (C)          For purposes of this Article,

                      (1)         a "Person" means any individual, corporation
                      or other entity;

                      (2)         a "Related Holder" means any Person (other
                      than the Corporation, a Subsidiary of the Corporation, or
                      a profit-sharing, employee stock ownership or other
                      employee benefit plan of the Corporation, or a Subsidiary
                      of the Corporation, or any trustee of, or fiduciary with
                      respect to, any such plan acting in such capacity) which
                      is, or within the preceding twelve-month period was, the
                      Beneficial Owner of shares of Voting Stock of the
                      Corporation having 5 percent or more of the voting power
                      of the outstanding capital stock of the Corporation;

                      (3)         a Person shall be deemed to be a "Beneficial
                      Owner" of shares of stock of the Corporation (a) which
                      such Person and its Affiliates and Associates
                      beneficially own, directly or indirectly, whether of
                      record or not, or (b) which such Person or any of its
                      Affiliates or Associates has the right to acquire
                      pursuant to any agreement, upon the exercise of
                      conversion rights, warrants, options, or otherwise, or
                      (c) which such Person or any of its Affiliates or
                      Associates has the right to sell or vote pursuant to any
                      agreement, or (d) which are beneficially owned, directly
                      or indirectly, by any other Person with which such first
                      mentioned Person or any of its Affiliates or Associates
                      has any agreement, arrangement or understanding for





                                      -12-
   14
                      the purposes of acquiring, holding, voting or disposing 
                      of securities of the Corporation;

                      (4)         a "Subsidiary" means any corporation more
                      than forty-nine percent (49%) of the voting securities of
                      which are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by
                      the Corporation;

                      (5)         an "Affiliate" of a Related Holder means any
                      person that directly, or indirectly through one or more
                      intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is
                      under common control with, the Related Holder;

                      (6)         an "Associate" of a Related Holder means (a)
                      any person of which such Related Holder is an officer,
                      director, or partner or is, directly or indirectly, the
                      Beneficial Owner of ten percent (10%) or more of any
                      class of equity securities of such person, or (b) any
                      trust or other estate in which such Related Holder has a
                      substantial beneficial interest or as to which such
                      Related Holder serves as trustee or in a similar
                      fiduciary capacity, or (c) any relative or spouse of such
                      Related Holder, or any relative of such spouse, who has
                      the same home as such Related Holder, or (d) any person
                      who is a director or officer of such Related Holder or
                      any corporation which controls or is controlled by such
                      Related Holder, or (e) any other member or partner in a
                      partnership, limited partnership, syndicate or other
                      group, formal or informal, of which such Related Holder
                      is a member or partner and which is acting together for
                      the purpose of acquiring, holding or disposing of
                      securities of the Corporation;

                      (7)         "Voting Stock" shall be the outstanding
                      shares of the capital stock of the Corporation entitled
                      to vote generally in the election of directors;

                      (8)         "Fair Market Value" means:  (i) in the case
                      of stock, the highest closing price during the 90-day
                      period immediately preceding the date in question of a
                      share of such stock on the Composite Tape for New York
                      Stock Exchange-Listed Stocks, or, if such stock is not
                      quoted on the Composite Tape, on the New York Stock
                      Exchange, or, if such stock is not listed on such
                      Exchange, the fair market value on the date in question
                      of a share of such stock as determined by the Board in
                      good faith, which determination shall include
                      consideration of the highest closing price, or, in the
                      event there is no closing price, the highest closing bid
                      in the primary market in which such stock is traded
                      during the 90-day period preceding the date in question;
                      and (ii) in the case of property other than cash or
                      stock, the fair market value of such property on the date
                      in question as determined by the Board in good faith;

                      (9)         a "Continuing Director" means a member of the
                      Board of Directors of the Corporation who is unaffiliated
                      with the Related





                                      -13-
   15
                      Holder or any Affiliate or Associate of the Related
                      Holder and was a duly elected and acting member of the
                      Board prior to the time such Related Holder became the
                      Beneficial Owner of 5 percent or more of the Voting Stock
                      of the Corporation, and any successor to a Continuing
                      Director who is unaffiliated with the Related Holder and
                      who is recommended to succeed a Continuing Director by a
                      majority of the then Continuing Directors.

         (D)          A majority of the total number of Continuing Directors
(whether or not there exist any vacancies in previously authorized
directorships at the time any such determination as is hereinafter in this
paragraph (D) specified is to be made by the Board) shall have the power to
determine, on the basis of information known to them after reasonable inquiry,
all facts necessary to determine compliance with this Article, including,
without limitation, (1) whether a person is a Related Holder, (2) the number of
shares of Voting Stock beneficially owned by any person, (3) whether a person
is an Affiliate or Associate of another, (4) whether the applicable conditions
set forth in paragraph (B) have been met with respect to any transaction
described therein, and (5) whether the assets which are the subject of any
transaction referred to in section (2) of paragraph (A) have, or the
consideration to be received for the issuance or transfer of securities by the
Corporation or any Subsidiary in any transaction referred to in section (3) of
paragraph (A) has, an aggregate Fair Market Value of $5,000,000 or more.

         (E)          Notwithstanding any other provision of this Certificate
of Incorporation or any provision of the Bylaws of the Corporation, no
amendment to this Certificate of Incorporation shall amend, modify or repeal
any or all of the provisions of this Article, unless adopted by the affirmative
vote of the holders of a majority of all of the outstanding shares of the
Voting Stock of the Corporation, voting for the purposes of this Article as a
class, other than holders who are the Related Holder or Affiliates or
Associates of the Related Holder.

         FIFTEENTH:   (A)         Except for (1) any action which may be taken
solely upon the vote or consent of holders of Preferred Stock or any series
thereof, or, (2) except for any action with respect to which other Articles
expressly provide stockholder consent requirements, no action required to be
taken or which may be taken at any annual or special meeting of stockholders of
the Corporation may be taken by written consent without a meeting, except that
any such action may be taken without prior notice and without a vote, if a
consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by all
the stockholders of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon.

         (B)          This Article shall not be amended, modified or repealed
except by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than four-fifths
(80%) of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of capital
stock of the Corporation then entitled to vote generally in the election of
directors.

         SIXTEENTH:   (A)         The power to adopt, alter, amend or repeal
bylaws shall be vested in the Board of Directors, which may take such action by
the vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at a meeting where a
quorum is present,





                                      -14-
   16
provided that if, as of the date such action shall occur, there is a Related
Holder as defined in Article FOURTEENTH of the Certificate of Incorporation,
such majority shall include a majority of the Continuing Directors as defined
in Article FOURTEENTH of the Certificate of Incorporation.  In addition, the
stockholders, by the affirmative votes of the holders of not less than
four-fifths (80%) of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of
capital stock of the Corporation then entitled to vote generally in the
election of directors, may adopt new bylaws, or alter, amend or repeal bylaws
adopted by either the stockholders or the Board of Directors.

         (B)          This Article shall not be amended, modified or repealed
except by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than four-fifths
(80%) of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of capital
stock of the Corporation then entitled to vote generally in the election of
directors.

         SEVENTEENTH:  A director of the Corporation shall not personally
liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach
of fiduciary duty of the director, except for liability (i) or any breach of
the director's duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its shareholders, (ii) for
acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or
knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the General Corporation
Law of the State of Delaware, or (iv) or any transaction from which the
director derived an improper personal benefit.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Quanex Corporation has caused this Restated
Certificate of Incorporation to be signed this 10th day of November, 1995.



                                           QUANEX CORPORATION
                                          
                                          
                                          
                                           By: /s/ WAYNE M. ROSE  
                                              ---------------------------------
                                                   Wayne M. Rose
                                                Vice President and
                                              Chief Financial Officer


Filed: November 17, 1995.





                                      -15-
   17
                                   EXHIBIT A


         RESOLVED, that pursuant to the authority vested in the Board of
Directors of this Corporation in accordance with the provisions of its
Certificate of Incorporation, a series of Preferred Stock, no par value, of the
Corporation be and it hereby is created, and that the designation and amount
thereof and the powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and
other special rights of the shares of such series, and the qualifications,
limitations or restrictions thereof are as follows:

         Section 1.       Designation and Amount.  The shares of such series
shall be designated as "Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock", which
shall have no par value, and the number of shares constituting such series
shall be 150,000.  Such number of shares may be increased or decreased by
resolution of the Board of Directors; provided, that no decrease shall reduce
the number of shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock to a
number less than that of the shares then outstanding plus the number of shares
issuable upon exercise of outstanding rights, options or warrants or upon
conversion of outstanding securities issued by the Corporation.

         Section 2.       Dividends and Distributions.

         (A)     Subject to the prior and superior rights of the holders of any
shares of any series of Preferred Stock ranking prior and superior to the
shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock with respect to
dividends, the holders of shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred
Stock, in preference to the holders of shares of Common Stock, par value $0.50
per share (the "Common Stock"), of the Corporation and any other junior stock,
shall be entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by the Board of
Directors out of funds legally available for the purpose, quarterly dividends
payable in cash on the first day of March, June, September and December in each
year (each such date being referred to herein as a "Quarterly Dividend Payment
Date"), commencing on the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date after the first
issuance of a share or fraction of a share of Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock in an amount per share (rounded to the nearest cent) equal to
the greater of (a) $1.00, or (b) subject to the provision for adjustment
hereinafter set forth, 100 times the aggregate per share amount of all cash
dividends, and 100 times the aggregate per share amount (payable in kind) of
all non-cash dividends or other distributions other than a dividend payable in
shares of Common Stock or a subdivision of the outstanding shares of Common
Stock (by reclassification or otherwise), declared on the Common Stock, since
the immediately preceding Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, or, with respect to
the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, since the first issuance of any
share or fraction of a share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock.
In the event the Corporation shall at any time after August 28, 1986 (the
"Rights Declaration Date") (i) declare any dividend on Common Stock payable in
shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding Common Stock, or (iii)
combine the outstanding Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, then in
each such case the amount to which holders of shares of Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event
under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall be adjusted by multiplying
such amount by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of
Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of
which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately
prior to such event.





                                      A-1
   18
         (B)     The Corporation shall declare a dividend or distribution on
the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock as provided in paragraph (A)
above immediately after it declares a dividend or distribution on the Common
Stock (other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock); provided that,
in the event no dividend or distribution shall have been declared on the Common
Stock during the period between any Quarterly Dividend Payment Date and the
next subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, a dividend of $1.00 per share
on the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall nevertheless be
payable on such subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date.

         (C)     Dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative on
outstanding shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock from the
Quarterly Dividend Payment Date next preceding the date of issue of such shares
of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock unless the date of issue of
such shares is prior to the record date for the first Quarterly Dividend
Payment Date, in which case dividends on such shares shall begin to accrue from
the date of issue of such shares, or unless the date of issue is a Quarterly
Dividend Payment Date or is a date after the record date for the determination
of holders of shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock entitled
to receive a quarterly dividend and before such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date
in either of which events such dividends shall begin to accrue and be
cumulative from such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date.  Accrued but unpaid
dividends shall not bear interest.  Dividends paid on the shares of Series A
Junior Participating Preferred Stock in an amount less than the total amount of
such dividends at the time accrued and payable on such shares shall be
allocated pro rata on a share-by- share basis among all such shares at the time
outstanding.  The Board of Directors may fix a record date for the
determination of holders of shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred
Stock entitled to receive payment of a dividend or distribution declared
thereon, which record date shall be no more than 30 days prior to the date
fixed for the payment thereof.

         Section 3.       Voting Rights.   The holders of shares of Series A
Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall have the following voting rights:

         (A)     Each share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock
shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote
of the stockholders of the Corporation.

         (B)     Except as otherwise provided herein or by law, the holders of
shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock and the holders of
shares of Common Stock shall vote together as one class on all matters
submitted to a vote of shareholders of the Corporation.

         (C)     (i)      If at any time dividends on any Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock shall be in arrears in an amount equal to six (6)
quarterly dividends thereon, the occurrence of such contingency shall mark the
beginning of a period (herein called a "default period") which shall extend
until such time when all accrued and unpaid dividends for all previous
quarterly dividend periods and for the current quarterly dividend period on all
shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock then outstanding shall
have been declared and paid or set apart for payment.  During each default
period, the holders of the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock,
voting as a class together with the holders, if any, of other series of
Preferred Stock having the right to vote upon a default in the payment of
dividends, irrespective of series, shall have the right to elect two (2)
Directors.





                                      A-2
   19
                 (ii)     During any default period, such voting right of the
holders of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock may be exercised
initially at a special meeting called pursuant to subparagraph (iii) of this
Section 3(C) or at any annual meeting of stockholders, and thereafter at annual
meetings of stockholders, provided that neither such voting right nor the right
of the holders of any other series of Preferred Stock, if any, to increase, in
certain cases, the authorized number of Directors shall be exercised unless the
holders of ten percent (10%) in number of shares of Preferred Stock outstanding
shall be present in person or by proxy.  The absence of a quorum of the holders
of Common Stock shall not affect the exercise by the holders of Preferred Stock
of such voting right.  At any meeting at which the holders of Preferred Stock
shall exercise such voting right initially during an existing default period,
they shall have the right, voting as a class, to elect Directors to fill such
vacancies, if any, in the Board of Directors as may then exist up to two (2)
Directors or, if such right is exercised at an annual meeting, to elect two (2)
Directors.  If the number which may be so elected at any special meeting does
not amount to the required number, the holders of the Preferred Stock shall
have the right to make such increase in the number of Directors as shall be
necessary to permit the election by them of the required number.  After the
holders of the Preferred Stock shall have exercised their right to elect
Directors in any default period and during the continuance of such period, the
number of Directors shall not be increased or decreased except by vote of the
holders of Preferred Stock as herein provided or pursuant to the rights of any
equity securities ranking senior to or pari passu with the Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock.

                 (iii)    Unless the holders of Preferred Stock shall, during
an existing default period, have previously exercised their right to elect
Directors, the Board of Directors may order, or any stockholder or stockholders
owning in the aggregate not less than ten percent (10%) of the total number of
shares of Preferred Stock outstanding, irrespective of series, may request, the
calling of a special meeting of the holders of Preferred Stock, which meeting
shall thereupon be called by the President, a Vice-President or the Corporate
Secretary of the Corporation.  Notice of such meeting and of any annual meeting
at which holders of Preferred Stock are entitled to vote pursuant to this
paragraph (C)(iii) shall be given to each holder of record of Preferred Stock
by mailing a copy of such notice to him at his last address as the same appears
on the books of the Corporation.  Such meeting shall be called for a time not
earlier than 20 days and not later than 60 days after such order or request or
in default of the calling of such meeting within 60 days after such order or
request, such meeting may be called on similar notice by any stockholder or
stockholders owning in the aggregate not less than ten percent (10%) of the
total number of shares of Preferred Stock outstanding.  Notwithstanding the
provisions of this paragraph (C)(iii), no such special meeting shall be called
during the period within 60 days immediately preceding the date fixed for the
next annual meeting of the stockholders.

                 (iv)     In any default period, the holders of Common Stock,
and other classes of stock of the Corporation if applicable, shall continue to
be entitled to elect the whole number of Directors until the holders of
Preferred Stock shall have exercised their right to elect two (2) Directors
voting as a class, after the exercise of which right (x) the Directors so
elected by the holders of Preferred Stock shall continue in office until their
successors shall have been elected by such holders or until the expiration of
the default period, and (y) any vacancy in the Board of Directors may (except
as provided in paragraph (C)(ii) of this Section 3) be filled by vote of a
majority of the remaining Directors theretofore elected by the holders of the
class of stock which elected the Director whose office shall have become
vacant.  References in this paragraph (C) to Directors elected by the holders
of a particular class of stock shall





                                      A-3
   20
include Directors elected by such Directors to fill vacancies as provided in
clause (y) of the foregoing sentence.

         (v)     Immediately upon the expiration of a default period, (x) the
right of the holders of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock as a
class to elect Directors shall cease, (y) the term of any Directors elected by
the holders of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock as a class shall
terminate, and (z) the number of Directors shall be such number as may be
provided for in the Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws irrespective of any
increase made pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (C)(ii) of this Section 3
(such number being subject, however to change thereafter in any manner provided
by law or in the Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws).  Any vacancies in
the Board of Directors effected by the provisions of clauses (y) and (z) in the
preceding sentence may be filled by a majority of the remaining Directors.

         (D)     Except as set forth herein, holders of Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock shall have no special voting rights and their
consent shall not be required (except to the extent they are entitled to vote
with holders of Common Stock as set forth herein) for taking any corporate
action.

         Section 4.       Certain Restrictions.

         (A)     Whenever quarterly dividends or other dividends or
distributions payable on the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock as
provided in Section 2 are in arrears, thereafter and until all accrued and
unpaid dividends and distributions, whether or not declared, on shares of
Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock outstanding shall have been paid
in full, the Corporation shall not

                 (i)      declare or pay dividends on, make any other
         distributions on, or redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for
         consideration any shares of stock ranking junior (either as to
         dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the
         Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock;

                 (ii)     declare or pay dividends on or make any other
         distributions on any shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to
         dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the
         Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock except dividends paid
         ratably on the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock and all
         such parity stock on which dividends are payable or in arrears in
         proportion to the total amounts to which the holders of all such
         shares are then entitled;

                 (iii)    redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for
         consideration shares of any stock ranking on a parity (either as to
         dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the
         Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock provided that the
         Corporation may at any time redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire
         shares of any such parity stock in exchange for shares of any stock of
         the Corporation ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon
         dissolution, liquidation or winding up) to the Series A Junior
         Participating Preferred Stock; or

                 (iv)     purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any
         shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock or any shares
         of stock ranking on a parity with the Series A Junior Participating
         Preferred Stock except in





                                      A-4
   21
         accordance with a purchase offer made in writing or by publication (as
         determined by the Board of Directors) to all holders of such shares
         upon such terms as the Board of Directors, after consideration of the
         respective annual dividend rates and other relative rights and
         preferences of the respective series and classes, shall determine in
         good faith will result in fair and equitable treatment among the
         respective series or classes.

         (B)     The Corporation shall not permit any subsidiary of the
Corporation to purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of
stock of the Corporation unless the Corporation could, under paragraph (A) of
this Section 4, purchase or otherwise acquire such shares at such time and in
such manner.

         Section 5.       Reacquired Shares.       Any shares of Series A
Junior Participating Preferred Stock purchased or otherwise acquired by the
Corporation in any manner whatsoever shall be retired and cancelled promptly
after the acquisition thereof.  All such shares shall upon their cancellation
become authorized but unissued shares of Preferred Stock and may be reissued as
part of a new series of Preferred Stock to be created by resolution or
resolutions of the Board of Directors, subject to the conditions and
restrictions on issuance set forth herein.

         Section 6.       Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up.   (A)
Upon any liquidation (voluntary or otherwise), dissolution or winding up of the
Corporation, no distribution shall be made to the holders of shares of stock
ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or
winding up) to the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock unless, prior
thereto, the holders of shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock
shall have received per share, the greater of 100 times the exercise price per
Right or 100 times the payment made per share of Common Stock, plus an amount
equal to accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions thereon, whether or not
declared, to the date of such payment (the "Series A Liquidation Preference").
Following the payment of the full amount of the Series A Liquidation
Preference, no additional distributions shall be made to the holders of shares
of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock unless, prior thereto, the
holders of shares of Common Stock shall have received an amount per share (the
"Common Adjustment") equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the Series
A Liquidation Preference by (ii) 100 (as appropriately adjusted as set forth in
subparagraph C below to reflect such events as stock splits, stock dividends
and recapitalizations with respect to the Common Stock) (such number in clause
(ii), the "Adjustment Number").  Following the payment of the full amount of
the Series A Liquidation Preference and the Common Adjustment in respect of all
outstanding shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock and Common
Stock, respectively, holders of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock
and holders of shares of Common Stock shall receive their ratable and
proportionate share of the remaining assets to be distributed in the ratio of
the Adjustment Number to 1 with respect to such Preferred Stock and Common
Stock, on a par share basis, respectively.

         (B)     In the event there are not sufficient assets available to
permit payment in full of the Series A Liquidation Preference and the
liquidation preferences of all other series of Preferred Stock, if any, which
rank on a parity with the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock then
such remaining assets shall be distributed ratably to the holders of such
parity shares in proportion to their respective liquidation preferences.  In
the event there are not sufficient assets available to permit payment in full
of the Common Adjustment, then such remaining assets shall be distributed
ratably to the holders of Common Stock.





                                      A-5
   22
         (C)     In the event the Corporation shall at any time after the
Rights Declaration Date (i) declare any dividend on Common Stock payable in
shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding Common Stock, or (iii)
combine the outstanding Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, then in
each such case the Adjustment Number in effect immediately prior to such event
shall be adjusted by multiplying such Adjustment Number by a fraction the
numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding
immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of
shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.

         Section 7.       Consolidation, Merger, etc.       In case the
Corporation shall enter into any consolidation, merger, combination or other
transaction in which the shares of Common Stock are exchanged for or changed
into other stock or securities, cash and/or any other property, then in any
such case the shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall at
the same time be similarly exchanged or changed in an amount per share (subject
to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth) equal to 100 times the
aggregate amount of stock, securities, cash and/or any other property (payable
in kind), as the case may be, into which or for which each share of Common
Stock is changed or exchanged.  In the event the Corporation shall at any time
after the Rights Declaration Date (i) declare any dividend on Common Stock
payable in shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding Common Stock,
or (iii) combine the outstanding Common Stock into a smaller number of shares,
then in each such case the amount set forth in the preceding sentence with
respect to the exchange or change of shares of Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction the
numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding
immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of
shares of Common Stock that are outstanding immediately prior to such event.

         Section 8.       Redemption.      The shares of Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock shall not be redeemable.

         Section 9.       Ranking.         The Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock shall rank junior to all other series of the Corporation's
Preferred Stock as to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets,
unless the terms of any such series shall provide otherwise.

         Section 10.      Amendment.       The Restated Certificate of
Incorporation of the Corporation shall not be further amended in any manner
which would materially alter or change the powers, preferences or special
rights of the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock so as to affect
them adversely without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority or
more of the outstanding shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock
voting separately as a class.

         Section 11.      Fractional Shares.           Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock may be issued in fractions of a share which shall
entitle the holder, in proportion to such holder's fractional shares, to
exercise voting rights, receive dividends, participate in distributions and to
have the benefit of all other rights of holders of Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock.





                                      A-6
   1
                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.8
                                                                     -----------




















                                  PIPER IMPACT
                                   401(k) PLAN
   2
                               TABLE OF CONTENTS


                                                                         Section
ARTICLE I - DEFINITIONS

                                                                       
      Account ..........................................................  1.1
      Active Service....................................................  1.2
      Actual Contribution Ratio.........................................  1.3
      Actual Deferral Percentage........................................  1.4
      Actual Deferral Ratio.............................................  1.5
      Affiliated Employer...............................................  1.6
      Aggregate Accounts................................................  1.7
      Aggregation Group.................................................  1.8
      Annual Additions..................................................  1.9
      Annual Compensation...............................................  1.10
      Beneficiary.......................................................  1.11
      Board of Directors................................................  1.12
      Code..............................................................  1.13
      Committee.........................................................  1.14
      Considered Compensation...........................................  1.15
      Contribution......................................................  1.16
      Contribution Percentage...........................................  1.17
      Determination Date................................................  1.18
      Direct Rollover...................................................  1.19
      Disability........................................................  1.20
      Distributee.......................................................  1.21
      Eligible Retirement Plan..........................................  1.22
      Eligible Rollover Distribution....................................  1.23
      Employee..........................................................  1.24
      Employer..........................................................  1.25
      ERISA.............................................................  1.26
      Excess Aggregate 401(m) Contributions.............................  1.27
      Excess 401(k) Contributions.......................................  1.28
      Family Member.....................................................  1.29
      Highly Compensated Employee.......................................  1.30
      Hour of Service...................................................  1.31
      Key Employee......................................................  1.32
      Leased Employee...................................................  1.33
      Limitation Year...................................................  1.34
      Matched Salary Deferral Contribution..............................  1.35
      Member............................................................  1.36
      Non-Highly Compensated Employee...................................  1.37
      Non-Key Employee..................................................  1.38
      Period of Service.................................................  1.39
      Period of Severance...............................................  1.40
      Plan..............................................................  1.41
      Plan Year.........................................................  1.42
-i- 3 Regulation........................................................ 1.43 Required Beginning Date........................................... 1.44 Retirement Age.................................................... 1.45 Rollover Contribution............................................. 1.46 Section 401(m) Contributions...................................... 1.47 Section 401(k) Contributions...................................... 1.48 Service........................................................... 1.49 Severs Service.................................................... 1.50 Sponsor Stock..................................................... 1.51 Sponsor........................................................... 1.52 Top-Heavy Plan.................................................... 1.53 Transferred....................................................... 1.54 Trust............................................................. 1.55 Trustee........................................................... 1.56 Trust Fund........................................................ 1.57 Valuation Date.................................................... 1.58 ARTICLE II - ACTIVE SERVICE When Active Service Begins........................................ 2.1 Aggregation of Service............................................ 2.2 Periods of Service of Less Than One Year.......................... 2.3 Service Prior to Severance........................................ 2.4 Periods of Severance Due to Child Birth or Adoption............... 2.5 Transfers......................................................... 2.6 Employment Records Conclusive..................................... 2.7 Coverage of Certain Previously Excluded Employees................. 2.8 Service Credit Required under Federal Law......................... 2.9 Special Transitional Rule......................................... 2.10 Credit for Service with Piper Impact, Inc. a Tennessee Corporation.......................................... 2.11 ARTICLE III - ELIGIBILITY RULES Eligibility Requirements.......................................... 3.1 Eligibility Upon Reemployment..................................... 3.2 Frozen Participation.............................................. 3.3 ARTICLE IV - CONTRIBUTIONS Salary Deferral Contributions..................................... 4.1 Employer Matching Contributions................................... 4.2 Rollover Contributions and Plan-to-Plan Transfers................. 4.3 Qualified Nonelective Employer Contributions...................... 4.4 Restoration Contributions......................................... 4.5 $7,000 Limit on Salary Deferral Contributions.................................................. 4.6
-ii- 4 Actual Deferral Percentage for Highly Compensated Employees.......................................... 4.7 Contribution Percentage Test...................................... 4.8 Contribution Percentage Fail Safe Provision....................... 4.9 Income Allocable to Excess 401(k) Contributions and Excess Aggregate 401(m) Contributions...................... 4.10 Additional Required Test if Alternative Compliance is Used............................................. 4.11 Nondeductible Contributions Prohibited............................ 4.12 Form of Payment of Contributions.................................. 4.13 Deadline for Payment of Employee Contributions.................... 4.14 Return of Contributions for Mistake, Disqualification or Disallowance of Deduction................................... 4.15 ARTICLE V - ALLOCATION AND VALUATION OF ACCOUNTS Information Statements from Employer.............................. 5.1 Allocation of Salary Deferral Contribution........................ 5.2 Allocation of Matching Employer Contribution...................... 5.3 Allocation of Qualified Nonelective Employer Contributions.................................................. 5.4 Allocation of Dividends on Sponsor Stock.......................... 5.5 Sponsor Stock Splits.............................................. 5.6 Valuation of Accounts............................................. 5.7 Allocation of Forfeitures......................................... 5.8 Restoration of Forfeited Amounts.................................. 5.9 No Vesting Unless Otherwise Prescribed............................ 5.10 ARTICLE VI - LIMITATIONS ON ALLOCATIONS ARTICLE VII - BENEFITS Valuation of Accounts for Withdrawals and Distributions.................................................. 7.1 Death Benefit..................................................... 7.2 Retirement Benefit................................................ 7.3 Disability Benefit................................................ 7.4 Severance Benefit................................................. 7.5 Distributions to Divorced Spouse.................................. 7.6 Withdrawals....................................................... 7.7 Loans............................................................. 7.8 Forfeiture by Lost Members or Beneficiaries....................... 7.9 Forfeiture on Termination of Participation........................ 7.10 Claims Procedure.................................................. 7.11 Form of Distributions............................................. 7.12 Time of Distributions............................................. 7.13 Designation of Beneficiary........................................ 7.14 Distributions to Disabled......................................... 7.15
-iii- 5 ARTICLE VIII - TOP-HEAVY REQUIREMENTS Application....................................................... 8.1 Top-Heavy Test.................................................... 8.2 Vesting Restrictions if Plan Becomes Top-Heavy.................... 8.3 Minimum Contributions if Plan Becomes Top-Heavy................... 8.4 Coverage Under Multiple Top-Heavy Plans........................... 8.5 Restrictions if Plan Becomes Super Top-Heavy...................... 8.6 ARTICLE IX - ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN Appointment, Term of Service & Removal............................ 9.1 Powers............................................................ 9.2 Organization...................................................... 9.3 Quorum and Majority Action........................................ 9.4 Signatures........................................................ 9.5 Disqualification of Committee Member.............................. 9.6 Disclosure to Members............................................. 9.7 Standard of Performance........................................... 9.8 Liability of Committee and Liability Insurance.................... 9.9 Exemption from Bond............................................... 9.10 Compensation...................................................... 9.11 Persons Serving in Dual Fiduciary Roles........................... 9.12 Administrator..................................................... 9.13 ARTICLE X - TRUST FUND AND CONTRIBUTIONS Funding of Plan................................................... 10.1 Incorporation of Trust............................................ 10.2 Authority of Trustee.............................................. 10.3 Allocation of Responsibility...................................... 10.4 ARTICLE XI - ADOPTION OF PLAN BY OTHER EMPLOYERS Adoption Procedure................................................ 11.1 No Joint Venture Implied.......................................... 11.2 All Trust Assets Available to Pay All Benefits.................... 11.3 Qualification a Condition Precedent to Adoption and Continued Participation....................................... 11.4 ARTICLE XII - AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION Right to Amend and Limitations Thereon............................ 12.1 Mandatory Amendments.............................................. 12.2 Withdrawal of Employer............................................ 12.3 Termination of Plan............................................... 12.4 Partial or Complete Termination or Complete Discontinuance of Contributions............................... 12.5
-iv- 6 Continuance Permitted Upon Sale or Transfer of Assets............. 12.6 Distributions Upon Termination of the Plan........................ 12.7 ARTICLE XIII - MISCELLANEOUS Plan Not An Employment Contract................................... 13.1 Benefits Provided Solely From Trust............................... 13.2 Anti-Alienation Provisions........................................ 13.3 Requirements Upon Merger or Consolidation of Plans................ 13.4 Gender of Words Used.............................................. 13.5 Severability...................................................... 13.6 Reemployed Veterans............................................... 13.7 Governing Law; Parties to Legal Actions........................... 13.8
-v- 7 PIPER IMPACT 401(k) PLAN THIS AGREEMENT adopted by Piper Impact, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Sponsor"), W I T N E S S E T H: WHEREAS, effective January 1, 1995, Piper Impact, Inc., a Tennessee corporation (the "Prior Employer") established the Piper Impact 401(k) Plan (the "Plan") which is intended to be a profit sharing plan that satisfies the requirements of sections 401(a) and 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; and WHEREAS, effective as of March 29, 1996, the Sponsor purchased substantially all of the assets of the Prior Employer; WHEREAS, on August 9, 1996, the Sponsor assumed sponsorship of the Plan and the Prior Employer terminated its participation in the Plan; WHEREAS, the Sponsor desires to amend and restate the Plan; NOW, THEREFORE, the Plan is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as set forth below. 8 ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS The words and phrases defined in this Article shall have the meaning set out in the definition unless the context in which the word or phrase appears reasonably requires a broader, narrower or different meaning. 1.1 "ACCOUNT" means all ledger accounts pertaining to a Member which are maintained by the Committee to reflect the Member's interest in the Trust Fund. The Committee shall establish the following Accounts and any additional Accounts that the Committee considers necessary to reflect the entire interest of the Member in the Trust Fund. Each of the Accounts listed below and any additional Accounts established by the Committee shall reflect the Contributions or amounts transferred to the Trust Fund, if any, and the appreciation or depreciation of the assets in the Trust Fund and the income earned or loss incurred on the assets in the Trust Fund attributable to the Contributions and/or other amounts transferred to the Account. (a) Salary Deferral Contribution Account -- Member's before-tax contributions. (b) Matching Employer Contribution Account -- The Employer's matching contributions. (c) Qualified Nonelective Employer Contribution Account -- The Employer's contributions made as a means of passing the Actual Deferral Percentage test. (d) Rollover Account -- Funds transferred from another qualified plan or individual retirement account for the benefit of a Member. 1.2 "ACTIVE SERVICE" means the Periods of Service which are counted for either eligibility or vesting purposes as calculated under Article II. 1.3 "ACTUAL CONTRIBUTION RATIO" means the ratio of Section 401(m) Contributions actually paid into the Trust on behalf of an Employee for a Plan Year to the Employee's Annual Compensation for the same Plan Year earned while the Employee was a Member. 1.4 "ACTUAL DEFERRAL PERCENTAGE" means for a specified group of Employees for a Plan Year the average of the ratios (calculated separately for each Employee in the group) of the amount of Section 401(k) Contributions actually paid into the Trust on behalf of the Employee for that Plan Year to the Employee's Annual Compensation for the same Plan Year earned while the Employee was a Member. I-1 9 1.5 "ACTUAL DEFERRAL RATIO" means for an Employee the ratio of Section 401(k) Contributions actually paid into the Trust on behalf of the Employee for a Plan Year to the Employee's Annual Compensation for the same Plan Year. 1.6 "AFFILIATED EMPLOYER" means the Employer and any employer which is a member of the same controlled group of corporations within the meaning of Section 414(b) of the Code or which is a trade or business (whether or not incorporated) which is under common control (within the meaning of Section 414(c) of the Code), which is a member of an affiliated service group (within the meaning of Section 414(m) of the Code) with the Employer, or which is required to be aggregated with the Employer under Section 414(o) of the Code. For purposes of the limitation on allocations contained in Article VI, the definition of Affiliated Employer is modified by substituting the phrase "more than 50 percent" in place of the phrase "at least 80 percent" each place the latter phrase appears in Section 1563(a)(1) of the Code. 1.7 "AGGREGATE ACCOUNTS" means the total of all Account balances derived from Employer Contributions and Rollover Contributions. 1.8 "AGGREGATION GROUP" means (a) each plan of the Employer or any Affiliated Employer in which a Key Employee is a Member and (b) each other plan of the Employer or any Affiliated Employer which enables any plan in (a) to meet the requirements of either Section 401(a)(4) or 410 of the Code. Any Employer may treat a plan not required to be included in the Aggregation Group as being a part of the group if the group would continue to meet the requirements of Section 401(a)(4) and 410 of the Code with that plan being taken into account. 1.9 "ANNUAL ADDITIONS" means the sum of the following amounts credited on behalf of a Member for the Limitation Year: (a) Employer contributions, (b) Employee contributions and (c) forfeitures. Excess 401(k) Contributions for a Plan Year are treated as Annual Additions for that Plan Year even if they are corrected through distribution. Excess Deferrals that are timely distributed as set forth in Section 4.6 will not be treated as Annual Additions. 1.10 "ANNUAL COMPENSATION" means the Employee's wages from the Affiliated Employers as defined in section 3401(a) of the Code for purposes of federal income tax withholding at the source (but determined without regard to any rules that limit the remuneration included in wages based on the nature or location of the employment or the services performed) modified by including elective contributions under a cafeteria plan described in section 125 of the Code and elective contributions to any plan qualified under section 401(k), 408(k), or 403(b) of the Code. However, for purposes of Article VI of the Plan, effective for Limitation Years beginning before January 1, 1998, "Annual Compensation" does not include any salary deferral contributions to plan qualified under section 401(k) of the Code or any amount that is deferred at the election of the Employee and is not includible in the gross income of the Employee by reason of section 125 of the Code. Except for purposes of Article VI of the Plan, Annual Compensation in excess of $150,000.00 (as adjusted by the Secretary of Treasury) shall be disregarded. If the Plan Year is ever less than twelve months the $150,000.00 limitation (as adjusted by the Secretary of Treasury) will be prorated by I-2 10 multiplying the limitation by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of months in the Plan Year, and the denominator of which is 12. 1.11 "BENEFICIARY" or "BENEFICIARIES" means the person or persons, or the trust or trusts created for the benefit of a natural person or persons or the Member's or retired Member's estate, designated by the Member or retired Member to receive the benefits payable under this Plan upon his death. 1.12 "BOARD OF DIRECTORS" means the board of directors, the executive committee or other body given management responsibility for the Sponsor. 1.13 "CODE" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time. 1.14 "COMMITTEE" means the committee appointed by the Sponsor to administer the Plan. 1.15 "CONSIDERED COMPENSATION" means as to each Employee, that Employee's Annual Compensation modified by including elective contributions under a cafeteria plan described in section 125 of the Code and elective contributions to any plan qualified under section 401(k), 408(k) or 403(b) of the Code, and modified further by excluding the following items (even if includable in gross income), reimbursements or other expense allowances, fringe benefits (cash and noncash), moving expenses, deferred compensation, overtime wages, and welfare benefits. Considered Compensation in excess of $150,000.00 (as adjusted by the Secretary of Treasury) shall be disregarded. If the Plan Year is ever less than twelve months the $150,000.00 limitation (as adjusted by the Secretary of Treasury) will be prorated by multiplying the limitation by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of months in the Plan Year, and the denominator of which is 12. 1.16 "CONTRIBUTION" means the total amount of contributions made under the terms of this Plan. Each specific type of Contribution shall be designated by the type of contribution made as follows: (a) Salary Deferral Contribution -- Contributions made by the Employer under the Employee's salary deferral agreement. (b) Matching Employer Contribution -- matching contributions made by the Employer. (c) Qualified Nonelective Employer Contribution -- Contributions made by the Employer as a means of passing the Actual Deferral Percentage test or the Actual Contribution Percentage test. (d) Rollover Contribution - Contributions made by a Member which consist of any part of an eligible rollover distribution (as defined in section 402 of the Code) from a qualified employee trust described in section 401(a) of the Code. I-3 11 1.17 "CONTRIBUTION PERCENTAGE" means, for a specified group of Employees for a Plan Year, the average of the ratios (calculated separately for each Employee in the group) of the amount of Section 401(m) Contributions actually paid into the Trust on behalf of the Employee for the Plan Year to the Employee's Annual Compensation for the Plan Year earned while the Employee was a Member. 1.18 "DETERMINATION DATE" means for a given Plan Year the last day of the preceding Plan Year or in the case of the first Plan Year the last day of that Plan Year. 1.19 "DIRECT ROLLOVER" means a payment by the Plan to the Eligible Retirement Plan specified by the Distributee. 1.20 "DISABILITY" means a mental or physical disability which, in the opinion of a physician selected by the Committee, shall prevent the Member from earning a reasonable livelihood with any Affiliated Employer and which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months and which: (a) was not contracted, suffered or incurred while the Member was engaged in, or did not result from having engaged in, a felonious criminal enterprise; (b) did not result from alcoholism or addiction to narcotics; and (c) did not result from an injury incurred while a member of the Armed Forces of the United States for which the Member receives a military pension. 1.21 "DISTRIBUTEE" means an Employee or former Employee. In addition, the Employee's or former Employee's surviving spouse and the Employee's or former Employee's spouse or former spouse who is the alternate payee under a qualified domestic relations order, as defined in section 414(p) of the Code, are Distributees with regard to the interest of the spouse or former spouse. 1.22 "ELIGIBLE RETIREMENT PLAN" means an individual retirement account described in section 408(a) of the Code, an individual retirement annuity described in section 408(b) of the Code, an annuity plan described in section 403(a) of the Code, or a qualified trust described in section 401(a) of the Code, that accepts the Distributee's Eligible Rollover Distribution. However, in the case of an Eligible Rollover Distribution to the surviving spouse, an Eligible Retirement Plan is an individual retirement account or individual retirement annuity. 1.23 "ELIGIBLE ROLLOVER DISTRIBUTION" as defined in section 402 of the Code means any distribution of all or any portion of the balance to the credit of the Distributee, except that an Eligible Rollover Distribution does not include: (a) any distribution that is one of a series of substantially equal periodic payments (not less frequently than annually) made for the life (or life expectancy) of the Distributee or the joint lives (or joint life expectancies) of the Distributee and the Distributee's Beneficiary, or for a specified period of ten years or more; (b) any distribution to the extent the distribution is required under section 401(a)(9) of the Code; and (c) the portion of any distribution that is not includable in gross income. I-4 12 1.24 "EMPLOYEE" means, except as otherwise specified in this Section, all common law employees of an Affiliated Employer and all Leased Employees. 1.25 "EMPLOYER" or "EMPLOYERS" means the Sponsor and any other business organization which has adopted this Plan. 1.26 "ERISA" means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time. 1.27 "EXCESS AGGREGATE 401(m) CONTRIBUTIONS" means, with respect to any Plan Year, the excess of (a) the aggregate amount of Section 401(m) Contributions actually paid into the Trust on behalf of Highly Compensated Employees for the Plan Year over (b) the maximum amount of those contributions permitted under the limitations set out in the first sentence of Section 4.8 of the Plan. To calculate the amount of Excess Aggregate 401(m) Contributions, the Actual Contribution Ratio of the Highly Compensated Employee with the highest Actual Contribution Ratio shall be reduced to equal the ratio of the Highly Compensated Employee with the next highest Actual Contribution Ratio. However, if a lesser reduction would enable the Plan to pass the test, only that lesser reduction shall be made. This leveling process shall be repeated until the Contribution Percentage test is satisfied. 1.28 "EXCESS 401(k) CONTRIBUTIONS" means, with respect to any Plan Year, the excess of (a) the aggregate amount of Section 401(k) Contributions actually paid into the Trust on behalf of Highly Compensated Employees for the Plan Year over (b) the maximum amount of those contributions permitted under the limitations set out in the first sentence of Section 4.7 of the Plan. To calculate the amount of Excess 401(k) Contributions, the Actual Deferral Ratio of the Highly Compensated Employee with the highest Actual Deferral Ratio is reduced to equal the ratio of the Highly Compensated Employee with the next highest Actual Deferral Ratio. However, if a lesser reduction would enable the Plan to pass the Actual Deferral Percentage test, only that lesser reduction may be made. This leveling process is repeated until the Actual Deferral Percentage test is satisfied. 1.29 "FIVE PERCENT OWNER" means an Employee who is a five percent owner as defined in section 416(i) of the Code. 1.30 "HIGHLY COMPENSATED EMPLOYEE" means an Employee or an employee or an Affiliated Employer who, during the Plan Year or the preceding Plan Year, (a) was at any time a Five Percent Owner at any time during the Plan Year or the preceding Plan Year or (b) had Annual Compensation from the Affiliated Employers in excess of $80,000 (as adjusted from time to time by the Secretary of the Treasury) for the preceding Plan Year. 1.31 "HOUR OF SERVICE" means each hour for which an Employee is paid or entitled to payment for the performance of duties for an Affiliated Employer. 1.32 "KEY EMPLOYEE" means an Employee or former or deceased Employee or Beneficiary of an Employee who at any time during the Plan Year or any I-5 13 of the four preceding Plan Years is (a) an officer of an Employer or any Affiliated Employer having Annual Compensation greater than 50% of the annual addition limitation of Section 415(b)(1)(A) of the Code for the Plan Year, (b) one of the 10 employees having Annual Compensation from an Employer or any Affiliated Employer of greater than 100% of the annual addition limitation of Section 415(c)(1)(A) of the Code for the Plan Year and owning or considered as owning (within the meaning of Section 318 of the Code) the largest interest in an Employer or any Affiliated Employer, treated separately, (c) a Five Percent Owner of an Employer or any Affiliated Employer, treated separately, or (d) a 1% owner of an Employer or any Affiliated Employer, treated separately, having Annual Compensation from an Employer or any Affiliated Employer of more than $150,000. For this purpose no more than 50 employees or, if lesser, the greater of three employees or 10% of the employees shall be treated as officers. Section 416(i) of the Code shall be used to determine percentage of ownership. For the purpose of the test set out in (b) above, if two or more employees have the same interest in an Employer, the employee with the greater Annual Compensation from the Employer shall be treated as having the larger interest. 1.33 "LEASED EMPLOYEE". "Leased Employee" shall mean any person who (a) is not a common law employee of an Affiliated Employer, (b) pursuant to an agreement between an Affiliated Employer and any other person, has performed services for an Affiliated Employer (or for an Affiliated Employer and related persons determined in accordance with Section 414(n)(6) of the Code) on a substantially full time basis for a period of at least one year and (c) performs the services under primary direction and control of the recipient. 1.34 "LIMITATION YEAR". "Limitation Year" shall mean the calendar year. 1.35 "MATCHED SALARY DEFERRAL CONTRIBUTION" means that portion of the Salary Deferral Contribution attributable to each Member that does not exceed six percent of the Member's Considered Compensation earned while the Employee was a Member. 1.36 "MEMBER" means the person or persons employed by an Employer during the Plan Year and eligible to participate in this Plan. 1.37 "NON-HIGHLY COMPENSATED EMPLOYEE" means an Employee of the Employer who is not a Highly Compensated Employee. 1.38 "NON-KEY EMPLOYEE" means any Employee who is not a Key Employee. 1.39 "PERIOD OF SERVICE" means a period of employment with an Affiliated Employer which commences on the day on which an Employee performs his initial Hour of Service or performs his initial Hour of Service upon returning to the employ of an Affiliated Employer, whichever is applicable, and ends on the date the Employee Severs Service. I-6 14 1.40 "PERIOD OF SEVERANCE" means the period of time commencing on the date an Employee Severs Service and ending on the date the Employee again performs an Hour of Service. 1.41 "PLAN" means this Plan, including all subsequent amendments. 1.42 "PLAN YEAR" means the calendar year. The Plan Year shall be the fiscal year of this Plan. 1.43 "REGULATION" means the Internal Revenue Service regulation specified, as it may be changed from time to time. 1.44 "REQUIRED BEGINNING DATE" means: (a) in the case of an individual who is not a Five Percent Owner with respect to the Plan Year ending in the calendar year in which he attains age 70 1/2, the Required Beginning Date is April 1 of the calendar year following the later of (i) the calendar year in which the individual attains age 70 1/2, or (ii) the calendar year in which the individual Severs Service; and (b) in the case of an individual who is a Five Percent Owner with respect to the Plan Year ending in the calendar year in which he attains age 70 1/2, the Required Beginning Date is April 1 of the calendar year in which he attains age 70 1/2. 1.45 "RETIREMENT AGE" means the later of a time a Member attains age 65 or the fifth anniversary of the date he commenced participation in the Plan. Once a Member has attained his Retirement Age he shall be 100% vested at all times. 1.46 "ROLLOVER CONTRIBUTION" means the amount contributed by a Member of this Plan which consists of any part of an eligible rollover distribution (as defined in Section 402 of the Code) from a qualified employee trust described in Section 401(a) of the Code. 1.47 "SECTION 401(k) CONTRIBUTIONS" means the sum of Salary Deferral Contributions made on behalf of the Member during the Plan Year and Qualified Nonelective Employer Contributions that the Employer elects to have treated as Section 401(k) Contributions pursuant to Code Section 401(k)(3)(d)(ii) to the extent that those other amounts are not used to enable the Plan to satisfy the minimum contribution requirements of Section 416 of the Code. 1.48 "SECTION 401(m) CONTRIBUTIONS" means the sum of Matching Employer Contributions made on behalf of the Member during the Plan Year and other amounts that the Employer elects to have treated as Section 401(m) Contributions pursuant to Section 401(m)(3)(B) of the Code. However, Matching Employer Contributions and Salary Deferral Contributions that the Employer could otherwise elect to have treated as Section 401(m) Contributions are not Section 401(m) I-7 15 Contributions to the extent that they are used to enable the Plan to satisfy the minimum contribution requirements of Section 416 of the Code. 1.49 "SERVICE" means the period or periods that a person is paid or is entitled to payment for performance of duties with an Affiliated Employer. 1.50 "SEVERS SERVICE" means the earlier of the following events: (a) the Employee's quitting, retiring, dying or being discharged, (b) the completion of a period of 365 continuous days in which the Employee remains absent from Service (with or without pay) for any reason other than quitting, retiring, dying or being discharged, such as vacation, holiday, sickness, disability, leave of absence, layoff or any other absence or (c) the second anniversary of the commencement of a continuous period of absence occasioned by the reason of the pregnancy of the Employee, the birth of a child of the Employee, the placement of a child with the Employee in connection with the adoption of the child by the Employee or the caring for the child for a period commencing immediately after the child's birth or placement. 1.51 "SPONSOR" means Piper Impact, Inc., a Delaware corporation. 1.52 "SPONSOR STOCK" means the common stock of Quanex Corporation, a Delaware corporation, the parent of the Sponsor. 1.53 "TOP-HEAVY PLAN" means any plan which has been determined to be top-heavy under the test described in Article VIII of this Plan. 1.54 "TRANSFERRED" means, when used with respect to an Employee, the termination of employment with one Employer and the contemporaneous commencement of employment with another Employer. 1.55 "TRUST" means the one or more trust estates created to fund this Plan. 1.56 "TRUSTEE" means collectively one or more persons or corporations with trust powers which have been appointed by the initial Sponsor and have accepted the duties of Trustee and any and all successor or successors appointed by the Sponsor or successor Sponsor. 1.57 "TRUST FUND" means all of the trust estates established under the terms of this Plan to fund this Plan, whether held to fund a particular group of Accounts or held to fund all of the Accounts of Members, collectively. 1.58 "VALUATION DATE" means the day or days each Plan Year selected by the Committee on which the Trust Fund is to be valued which cannot be less frequent than annually. One or more Accounts may have different Valuation Dates from other Accounts. The Valuation Date must be announced to all Members and shall remain the same until changed by the Committee and announced to the Members. Until changed by the Committee, the Valuation Dates shall be each business day of the Plan Year. I-8 16 ARTICLE II ACTIVE SERVICE 2.1 WHEN ACTIVE SERVICE BEGINS. For purposes of eligibility and vesting, Active Service begins when an Employee first performs an Hour of Service for an Affiliated Employer. Once an Employee has begun Active Service for purposes of eligibility or vesting and Severs Service he shall recommence Active Service for those purposes when he again performs an Hour of Service for an Affiliated Employer. 2.2 AGGREGATION OF SERVICE. When determining an Employee's Active Service, all Periods of Service, whether or not completed consecutively, shall be aggregated on a per day basis. For purposes of eligibility and vesting, only full years of Active Service shall be counted. In aggregating Active Service, 30 days shall be counted as one month and 12 months shall be counted as one year. No fractional years shall be counted for purposes of eligibility or vesting. 2.3 PERIODS OF SERVICE OF LESS THAN ONE YEAR. If an Employee performs an Hour of Service within 12 months after he Severs Service, the intervening Period of Severance shall be counted as a Period of Service. 2.4 SERVICE PRIOR TO SEVERANCE. If an Employee Severs Service at a time when he does not have any vested right to amounts credited to his Matching Employer Contribution Account and the Period of Severance continues for a continuous period of five years or more, the Period of Service completed by the Employee before the Period of Severance shall not be taken into account if his Period of Severance equals or exceeds his Period of Service, whether or not consecutive, completed before the Period of Severance. 2.5 PERIODS OF SEVERANCE DUE TO CHILD BIRTH OR ADOPTION. If the period of time between the first anniversary of the first day of an absence from Service by reason of the pregnancy of the Employee, the birth of a child of the Employee, the placement of a child with the Employee in connection with the adoption of the child by the Employee or for purposes for caring for the child for a period beginning immediately following the birth or placement and the second anniversary of the first day of the absence occurs during or after the first Plan Year beginning after December 31, 1984, it shall neither be counted as a Period of Service nor of Severance. 2.6 TRANSFERS. If an Employee of one Employer is Transferred to the service of another Employer, his Active Service shall not be interrupted and he shall continue to be in Active Service for purposes of eligibility, vesting and allocation of Contributions and/or forfeitures. If an Employee is transferred to the service of an Affiliated Employer that has not adopted the Plan he will not Sever Service; however, even though he shall continue to be in Active Service for eligibility and vesting purposes he shall not receive any allocation of Contributions or forfeitures. II-1 17 2.7 EMPLOYMENT RECORDS CONCLUSIVE. The employment records of the Employer shall be conclusive for all determinations of Active Service. 2.8 COVERAGE OF CERTAIN PREVIOUSLY EXCLUDED EMPLOYEES. Any Employee who is no longer excludable because he or she is no longer a Leased Employee or included in a unit of Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Employees' representative and the Employer where retirement benefits were the subject of good faith bargaining shall immediately become eligible for membership if he meets the eligibility requirements. All his Service with any Affiliated Employer that would have been counted had he not been previously excluded shall now be counted as Active Service for eligibility and vesting purposes. 2.9 SERVICE CREDIT REQUIRED UNDER FEDERAL LAW. An Employee shall be credited with such additional Years of Vesting Service as is required under any applicable law of the United States. 2.10 SPECIAL TRANSITIONAL RULE. Any person who was an Employee before this Agreement is signed will have all or a portion of his Active Service figured under the provisions of the Plan in effect before this Agreement if that method of calculating service is more beneficial for the Employee than the method otherwise set out in this Article II. 2.11 CREDIT FOR SERVICE WITH PIPER IMPACT, INC. A TENNESSEE CORPORATION. For purposes of determining an Employee's Active Service for eligibility to participate and vesting, his service with Piper Impact, Inc., a Tennessee corporation will be counted as Active Service under the Plan. II-2 18 ARTICLE III ELIGIBILITY RULES 3.1 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. Effective April 1, 1997, each Employee shall be eligible to participate in this Plan beginning on the entry date which occurs with or next follows the date on which the Employee completes three months of Active Service and attains the age of 21. However, all Employees who are included in a unit of Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Employees' representative and the Employer shall be excluded, even if they have met the requirements for eligibility, if there has been good faith bargaining between the Employer and the Employees' representative pertaining to retirement benefits and the agreement does not require the Employer to include such Employees in this Plan. In addition, a Leased Employee shall not be eligible to participate in the Plan unless the Plan's qualified status is dependent upon coverage of the Leased Employee. The Plan's entry dates will be January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 of each Plan Year. 3.2 ELIGIBILITY UPON REEMPLOYMENT. If an Employee Severs Service with the Employer for any reason after fulfilling the eligibility requirements but prior to the date he initially begins participating in the Plan, the Employee shall be eligible to begin participation in this Plan on the day he first completes an Hour of Service upon his return to employment with an Employer. Once an Employee has become eligible to be a Member, his eligibility shall continue until he Severs Service. A former Member shall be eligible to recommence participation in this Plan on the first day he completes an Hour of Service upon his return to employment with an Employer. 3.3 FROZEN PARTICIPATION. An Employee employed by an Affiliated Employer, which has not adopted this Plan, cannot actively participate in this Plan even though he accrues Active Service. Likewise, if an Employee: (a) is transferred from an Employer to an Affiliated Employer which has not adopted this Plan, or (b) is a Member of this Plan when he is excluded under the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement his participation becomes inactive. Under these circumstances, the Member's Account becomes frozen and he cannot contribute to the Plan nor can he share in the allocation of any Employer Contribution or forfeitures for the period after he is transferred. However, his Accounts shall continue to share in any appreciation or depreciation of the Trust Fund and in any income earned or losses incurred by the Trust Fund during the period of time that he is employed by an Affiliated Employer which has not adopted this Plan, or is excluded from covered employment under the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement. III-1 19 ARTICLE IV CONTRIBUTIONS 4.1 SALARY DEFERRAL CONTRIBUTIONS. The Employer shall make a Salary Deferral Contribution in an amount equal to the amount by which its Members' Considered Compensation was reduced as a result of salary deferral agreements. Any such salary deferral agreement shall be an agreement in a form satisfactory to the Administrative Committee to prospectively receive Considered Compensation from the Employer in a reduced amount and to have the Employer contribute an amount equal to the amount of the reduction to the Trust Fund on account of the Member. Any such salary deferral agreement shall be revocable in accordance with its terms, provided that no revocation shall be retroactive or permit payment to the Member of the amount required to be contributed to the Trust Fund. A Member shall be entitled to prospectively modify his salary deferral agreement at least once a year. A Member's right to benefits derived from Salary Deferral Contributions made to the Plan on his behalf shall be nonforfeitable. The election to have Salary Deferral Contributions made, the ability to change the rate of Salary Deferral Contributions, the right to suspend Salary Deferral Contributions, and the manner of commencing new Salary Deferral Contributions shall be permitted under any uniform method determined by the Administrative Committee from time to time. 4.2 EMPLOYER MATCHING CONTRIBUTIONS. The Employer shall make an Employer Matching Contribution in an amount equal to 25 percent of the Matched Salary Deferral Contributions for all Members. 4.3 ROLLOVER CONTRIBUTIONS AND PLAN-TO-PLAN TRANSFERS. The Administrative Committee may permit Rollover Contributions by Members and/or direct transfers to or from another qualified plan on behalf of Members from time to time. If Rollover Contributions and/or direct transfers to or from another qualified plan are permitted, the opportunity to make those contributions and/or direct transfers must be made available to Members on a nondiscriminatory basis. For this purpose only, all Employees in the Eligible Class shall be considered to be Members of the Plan even though they may not have met the eligibility requirements. However, they shall not be entitled to elect to have Salary Deferral Contributions made or to share in Employer Contributions or forfeitures unless and until they have met the requirements for eligibility, contributions and allocations. A Rollover Contribution shall not be accepted unless it is directly rolled over to this Plan in a rollover described in Section 401(a)(31) of the Code. A Member shall not be permitted to make a Rollover Contribution if the property he intends to contribute is for any reason unacceptable to the Trustee. A Rollover Contribution Account shall be established for any Employee who makes a Rollover Contribution. A direct transfer of assets from another qualified plan in a transfer subject to the requirements of Section 414(l) of the Code shall not be accepted if it was at any time part of (a) a defined benefit plan (as defined in Section 401(a) or 414(j) of the Code), (b) a defined contribution plan (as defined in Sections 401(a) and 414(i) of the IV-1 20 Code) which is subject to the minimum funding standards of Section 412 of the Code, (c) any other qualified plan which has joint and survivor annuity benefits or qualified preretirement survivor annuity benefits as described in Section 417 of the Code, or (d) a plan which permits a distribution or withdrawal in a form not permitted under this Plan. 4.4 QUALIFIED NONELECTIVE EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS. The Employer may make a Qualified Nonelective Employer Contribution in such amount, if any, as shall be determined by the Employer. A Member's right to benefits derived from Qualified Nonelective Employer Contributions made to the Plan on his behalf shall be nonforfeitable. In no event will Qualified Nonelective Employer Contributions be distributed before Salary Deferral Contributions may be distributed 4.5 RESTORATION CONTRIBUTIONS. The Employer shall, for each Plan Year, make a restoration contribution in an amount equal to the sum of (a) such amount, if any, as shall be necessary to fully restore all Matching Employer Contribution Accounts required to be restored pursuant to the provisions of Section 5.9, after application of all forfeitures and any appreciation in the value of the Trust Fund available for such restoration; plus (b) an amount equal in value to the value of forfeited benefits described in and payable under Section 7.9. 4.6 $7,000 LIMIT ON SALARY DEFERRAL CONTRIBUTIONS. The maximum Salary Deferral Contribution that a Member may elect to have made on his behalf during the Member's taxable year may not, when added to the amounts deferred under other plans or arrangements described in Code Sections 401(k), 408(k) and 403(b) exceed $7,000 (as adjusted by the Secretary of Treasury). If this dollar limitation is exceeded during any taxable year of the Member, the excess of the amounts deferred on behalf of the Member under plans or arrangements described in Code Sections 401(k), 408(k) and 403(b) during the Member's taxable year over the dollar limitation (the "Excess Deferral") as adjusted by any earnings or losses thereon will be distributed to the Member no later than April 15 following the Member's taxable year in which the Excess Deferral was made. The income allocable to Excess Deferrals for the taxable year of the Member shall be determined by multiplying the income for the taxable year of the Member allocable to Salary Deferral Contributions by a fraction. The numerator of the fraction is the amount of Excess Deferrals made on behalf of the Member for the taxable year. The denominator of the fraction is the Member's total Salary Deferral Account balance as of the beginning of the taxable year plus the Member's Salary Deferral Contributions for the Plan Year. For purposes of applying the requirements of Code Sections 4.7 and VIII, Excess Deferrals will not be disregarded merely because they are Excess Deferrals or because they are distributed in accordance with this Section. However, Excess Deferrals made to the Plan on behalf of Non-Highly Compensated Employees are not to be taken into account under Section 4.7. IV-2 21 4.7 ACTUAL DEFERRAL PERCENTAGE FOR HIGHLY COMPENSATED EMPLOYEES. The Actual Deferral Percentage for Highly Compensated Employees for any Plan Year must bear a relationship to the Actual Deferral Percentage for all other eligible Employees for the Plan Year which meets either of the following tests: (a) The Actual Deferral Percentage of the Highly Compensated Employees is not more than the Actual Deferral Percentage of all other eligible Employees multiplied by 1.25; or (b) The excess of the Actual Deferral Percentage of the Highly Compensated Employees over that of all other eligible Employees is not more than two percentage points, and the Actual Deferral Percentage of the Highly Compensated Employees is not more than the Actual Deferral Percentage of all other eligible Employees multiplied by two. For purposes of this test an eligible Employee is an Employee who is eligible to make Salary Deferral Contributions for all or part of a Plan Year. A person who is suspended from making Salary Deferral Contributions because he has made a withdrawal is an eligible Employee. If no Salary Deferral Contributions are made for an eligible Employee the deferral ratio that will be included for him in determining the Actual Deferral Percentage is zero. If this Plan and any other plan or plans which include cash or deferred arrangements are considered as one plan for purposes of Section 401(a)(4) or 410(b) of the Code, the cash or deferred arrangements included in this Plan and the other plans shall be treated as one plan for these tests. If any Highly Compensated Employee is a Member of this Plan and any other cash or deferred arrangements of the Employer, when determining the deferral percentage of the Employee, all of the cash or deferred arrangements are treated as one. As soon as practicable after the close of each Plan Year, the Committee shall determine whether the Actual Deferral Percentage for the Highly Compensated Employees would exceed the limitation. If the limitation would be exceeded for a Plan Year, before the close of the following Plan Year (a) the amount of Excess 401(k) Contributions for that Plan Year (and any income allocable to those Contributions as calculated in the specific manner required by Section 4.10) shall be distributed, or (b) the Employer may make a Qualified Nonelective Employer Contribution which is treated as a Section 401(k) Contribution and allocated only to those Members who are Non-Highly Compensated Employees. Qualified Nonelective Employer Contributions will be treated as Section 401(k) Contributions only if the conditions described in Regulation Section 1.401(k)-1(b)(5) are satisfied. Qualified Nonelective Employer Contributions will be treated as Section 401(k) Contributions for a Plan Year only if they are allocated to Members' Accounts as of a date within that Plan Year and are actually paid to the Trust no later than the end of the 12-month period immediately following the Plan Year to which the contributions relate. Any distributions of the Excess 401(k) Contributions for any Plan Year are to be made to Highly Compensated Employees on the basis of the respective portions of the Excess 401(k) Contributions attributable to each of them. The amount of Excess 401(k) Contributions to be distributed for any Plan Year must be reduced by any excess Salary Deferral Contributions previously distributed for the taxable year ending in the same Plan Year. IV-3 22 A Salary Deferral Contribution will be taken into account under the actual deferral percentage test of Code Section 401(k) and this Section for a Plan Year only if it relates to Annual Compensation that either would have been received by the Employee in the Plan Year (but for the deferral election) or is attributable to services performed by the employee in the Plan Year and would have been received by the Employee within 2 1/2 months after the close of the Plan Year (but for the deferral election). In addition, a Section 401(k) Contribution will be taken into account under the actual deferral percentage test of Code Section 401(k) and this Section for a Plan Year only if it is allocated to an Employee as of a date within that Plan Year. For this purpose a Section 401(k) Contribution is considered allocated as of a date within a Plan Year if the allocation is not contingent on participation or performance of services after such date and the Section 401(k) Contribution is actually paid to the Trust no later than 12 months after the Plan Year to which the Section 40(k) Contribution relates. Failure to correct Excess 401(k) Contributions by the close of the Plan Year following the Plan Year for which they were made will cause the Plan to fail to be a qualified cash or deferred arrangement for the Plan Year for which the Excess Contributions were made and for all subsequent years they remain in the Trust. Also, the Employer will be liable for a 10% excise tax on the amount of Excess Contributions unless they are corrected within 2 1/2 months after the close of the Plan Year for which they were made. 4.8 CONTRIBUTION PERCENTAGE TEST. The Contribution Percentage for eligible Highly Compensated Employees for any Plan Year must not exceed the greater of the following: (a) The Contribution Percentage for all other eligible Employees multiplied by 1.25; or (b) The lesser of the Contribution Percentage for all other eligible Employees multiplied by two, or the Contribution Percentage for all other eligible Employees plus two percentage points. For purposes of this test an eligible Employee is an Employee who is directly or indirectly eligible to receive an allocation of Matching Employer Contributions for all or part of the Plan Year. Except as provided below, an Employee who would be eligible to receive an allocation of Matching Employer Contributions but for his election not to participate is an eligible Employee. An Employee who would be eligible to receive an allocation of Matching Employer Contributions but for the limitations on his Annual Additions imposed by Section 415 of the Code is an eligible Employee. If no Section 401(m) Contributions are made on behalf of an eligible Employee the Actual Contribution Ratio that shall be included for him in determining the Contribution Percentage is zero. If this Plan and any other plan or plans to which Section 401(m) Contributions are made are considered as one plan for purposes of Section 401(a)(4) or 410(b) of the Code, this Plan and those plans are to be treated as one. The Actual Contribution Ratio of a Highly Compensated Employee who is eligible to participate in more than one plan of an Affiliated employer to which employee or IV-4 23 matching contributions are made is calculated by treating all the plans in which the Employee is eligible to participate as one plan. However, plans that are not permitted to be aggregated under Regulation Section 1.410(m)-1(b)(3)(ii) are not aggregated for this purpose. A Matching Employer Contribution will be taken into account under this Section for a Plan Year only if (1) it is allocated to the Employee's Account as of a date within the Plan Year, (2) it is paid to the Trust no later than the end of the 12 month period beginning after the close of the Plan Year, and (3) it is made on behalf of an Employee on account of his Salary Deferral Contributions for the Plan Year. At the election of the Employer, a Member's Salary Deferral Contributions, and Qualified Nonelective Employer Contributions made on behalf of the Member during the Plan Year shall be treated as Section 401(m) Contributions that are Matching Employer Contributions provided that the conditions set forth in Regulation Section 1.401(m)-1(b)(5) are satisfied. Salary Deferral Contributions may not be treated as Employer Matching Contributions for purposes of the contribution percentage test set forth in this Section unless such contributions, including those taken into account for purposes of the test set forth in this Section, satisfy the actual deferral percentage test set forth in Section 4.7. Moreover, Salary Deferral Contributions and Qualified Nonelective Employer Contributions may not be taken into account for purposes of the test set forth in this Section to the extent that such contributions are taken into account in determining whether any other contributions satisfy the actual deferral percentage test set forth in Section 4.7. Finally, Salary Deferral Contributions and Qualified Nonelective Employer Contributions may be taken into account for purposes of the test set forth in this Section only if they are allocated to the employee's Account as of a date within the Plan Year being tested within the meaning of Regulation Section 1.401(k)-1(b)(4). 4.9 CONTRIBUTION PERCENTAGE FAIL SAFE PROVISION. If the limitation set forth in Section 4.8 would be exceeded for any Plan Year, before the close of the following Plan Year (a) the amount of the Excess Aggregate 401(m) Contributions for that Plan Year (and any income allocable to those Contributions as calculated in the manner set forth in Section 4.10) shall be either distributed, or forfeited to the extent they are not vested, or (b) the Employer may make a Qualified Nonelective Employer Contribution which it elects to have treated as a Section 401(m) Contribution. Any distributions of the Excess Aggregate 401(m) Contributions for any Plan Year are to be made to Highly Compensated Employees on the basis of the respective portions of the amounts attributable to each of them. Forfeitures of Excess Aggregate 401(m) Contributions shall be allocated to Members who are Non-Highly Compensated Employees as if such contributions were additional Employer Matching Contributions for the Plan Year. 4.10 INCOME ALLOCABLE TO EXCESS 401(k) CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXCESS AGGREGATE 401(m) CONTRIBUTIONS. The income allocable to Excess 401(k) Contributions for the Plan Year shall be determined by multiplying the income for the Plan Year allocable to Section 401(k) Contributions by a fraction. The numerator of the fraction shall be the amount of Excess 401(k) Contributions made on behalf of the Member for IV-5 24 the Plan Year. The denominator of the fraction shall be the Member's total Account balance attributable to Section 401(k) Contributions as of the beginning of the Plan Year plus the Member's Section 401(k) Contributions for the Plan Year. The income allocable to Excess Aggregate 401(m) Contributions for a Plan Year shall be determined by multiplying the income for the Plan Year allocable to Section 401(m) Contributions by a fraction. The numerator of the fraction shall be the amount of Excess Aggregate 401(m) Contributions made on behalf of the Member for the Plan Year. The denominator of the fraction shall be the Member's total Account balance attributable to Section 401(m) Contributions as of the beginning of the Plan Year plus the Member's Section 401(m) Contributions for the Plan Year. 4.11 ADDITIONAL REQUIRED TEST IF ALTERNATIVE COMPLIANCE IS USED. If the second alternative permitted in Sections 4.7 and 4.8 is used for both the Actual Deferral Percentage test and the Contribution Percentage test the following additional limitation on Salary Deferral Contributions shall apply. The Actual Deferral Percentage plus the Contribution Percentage of the eligible Highly Compensated Employees cannot exceed the greater of (a) or (b), where (a) is the sum of: (i) 1.25 times the greater of the Actual Deferral Percentage or the Contribution Percentage of the eligible Non-Highly Compensated Employees, and (ii) the lesser of (x) two percentage points plus the lesser of the Actual Deferral Percentage or the Contribution Percentage of the eligible Non-Highly Compensated Employees or (y) two times the lesser of the Actual Deferral Percentage or the Contribution Percentage of the group of eligible Non-Highly Compensated Employees; and (b) is the sum of: (i) 1.25 times the lesser of the Actual Deferral Percentage or the Contribution Percentage of the eligible Non-Highly Compensated Employees, and (ii) the lesser of (x) two percentage points plus the greater of the Actual Deferral Percentage or the Contribution Percentage of the eligible Non-Highly Compensated Employees or (y) two times the greater of the Actual Deferral Percentage or the Contribution Percentage of the group of eligible Non-Highly Compensated Employees. If the limitation would be exceeded for any Plan Year, before the close of the following Plan Year the Actual Deferral Percentage or Contribution Percentage of the eligible Highly Compensated Employees, or a combination of both, shall be reduced by distributions made in the manner described in the Regulations. These distributions IV-6 25 shall be in addition to and not in lieu of distributions required for Excess 401(k) Contributions and Excess Aggregate 401(m) Contributions. 4.12 NONDEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS PROHIBITED. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, no Employer shall make any contribution that would be a "nondeductible contribution" within the meaning of Section 4972 of the Code. 4.13 FORM OF PAYMENT OF CONTRIBUTIONS. Contributions may be paid to the Trustee either in cash or in qualifying employer securities (as such term is defined in Section 407(d) of ERISA) or any combination thereof, provided that payment may not be made in any form constituting a prohibited transaction under Section 4975 of the Code or Section 406 of ERISA. 4.14 DEADLINE FOR PAYMENT OF EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS. The Employer's Salary Deferral Contribution and Employer Matching Contribution shall be paid to the Trustee in installments. The installment for each payroll period shall be paid within 60 days after the end of the calendar quarter in which such payroll period ends, and shall be in an amount equal to the amount by which all Members' Considered Compensation was reduced pursuant to salary deferral agreements (as described in Section ) for such period, plus the amount of the Employer Matching Contribution for such period. The Qualified Nonelective Employer Contributions of the Employer for each Plan Year shall be paid to the Trustee in one or more installments, as the Employer may from time to time determine; provided, however, that the Qualified Nonelective Employer Contribution may be paid not later than the time prescribed by law (including extensions thereof) for filing the Employer's income tax return for its taxable year ending with or within such Plan Year. 4.15 RETURN OF CONTRIBUTIONS FOR MISTAKE, DISQUALIFICATION OR DISALLOWANCE OF DEDUCTION. Subject to the limitations of Section 415 of the Code, the assets of the Trust shall not revert to any Employer or be used for any purpose other than the exclusive benefit of the Members and their Beneficiaries and the reasonable expenses of administering the Plan except: (a) any Contribution made because of a mistake of fact may be repaid to the Employer within one year after the payment of the Contribution; (b) any Contribution conditioned upon the Plan's initial qualification under Section 401 of the Code or the initial qualification of an Employer's adoption of the Plan, if later, may be repaid to the Employer within one year after the date of denial of the initial qualification of the Plan or of its adoption by the Employer; and (c) any and all Employer Contributions are conditioned upon their deductibility under Section 404 of the Code; therefore, to the extent the deduction is disallowed, the Contributions may be repaid to the Employer within one year after the disallowance. IV-7 26 The Employer has the exclusive right to determine if a Contribution or any part of it is to be repaid or is to remain as a part of the Trust Fund except that the amount to be repaid is limited, if the Contribution is made by mistake of fact or if the deduction for the Contribution is disallowed, to the excess of the amount contributed over the amount that would have been contributed had there been no mistake or over the amount disallowed. Earnings which are attributable to any excess contribution cannot be repaid. Losses attributable to an excess contribution must reduce the amount that may be repaid. All repayments of mistaken Contributions or Contributions which are disallowed are limited so that the balance in a Member's Account cannot be reduced to less than the balance that would have been in the Member's Account had the mistaken amount or the amount disallowed never been contributed. IV-8 27 ARTICLE V ALLOCATION AND VALUATION OF ACCOUNTS 5.1 INFORMATION STATEMENTS FROM EMPLOYER. As soon as practical after the last day of each calendar quarter, the Employer shall provide the Administrative Committee with a schedule setting forth the amount of its Salary Deferral Contribution, Employer Matching Contribution, Qualified Nonelective Employer Contribution, and restoration contribution; the names of its Members, the number of Years of Vesting Service of each of its Members, the amount of Considered Compensation paid to each Member, and the amount of Considered Compensation paid to all its Members. Such schedules shall be conclusive evidence of such facts. 5.2 ALLOCATION OF SALARY DEFERRAL CONTRIBUTION. The Administrative Committee shall allocate the Employer's Salary Deferral Contribution among the Employer's Members by allocating to each such Member the amount by which his Considered Compensation was reduced pursuant to a salary deferral agreement (as described in Section 4.1 and shall credit each such Member's share to the Member's Salary Deferral Contribution Account. 5.3 ALLOCATION OF MATCHING EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION. The Administrative Committee shall separately allocate the Employer Matching Contribution among the Employer's Members in the proportion which the Matched Salary Deferral Contributions of each such Member bears to the total Matched Salary Deferral Contributions of all such Members. Each Member's proportionate share shall be credited to his Matching Employer Contribution Account. 5.4 ALLOCATION OF QUALIFIED NONELECTIVE EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION. The Administrative Committee shall separately allocate the Qualified Nonelective Employer Contribution among the Non-Highly Compensated Employees who are Members based upon each such Member's Considered Compensation as compared to the Considered Compensation of all such Members. 5.5 ALLOCATION OF DIVIDENDS ON SPONSOR STOCK. Cash and Sponsor Stock dividends paid with respect to Sponsor Stock shall be allocated among the Members and former Members with Account balances in proportion to the number of shares of Sponsor Stock (of the class with respect to which the dividend is paid) allocated to Member's or former Member's Account as of the record date for the dividend. 5.6 SPONSOR STOCK SPLITS. If the shares of Company Stock are subdivided, the additional shares acquired by the Trustee upon the subdivision will be allocated among the Members and former Members with Account balances in proportion to the number of shares of Sponsor Stock (of the class with respect to which the subdivision is made) allocated to the Member's or former Member's Account as of the record date for the subdivision. V-1 28 5.7 VALUATION OF ACCOUNTS. A Member's or former Member's Accounts shall be valued at fair market value on each Valuation Date. The earnings and losses attributable to any asset in the Trust Fund will be allocated solely to the Account of the Member or former Member on whose behalf the investment in the asset was made. In determining the fair market value of the Members' or former Member's Accounts, the Trustee shall utilize such sources of information as it may deem reliable including, but not limited to, stock market quotations, statistical evaluation services, newspapers of general circulation, financial publications, advice from investment counselors or brokerage firms, or any combination of sources which in the opinion of the Trustee will provide the price such assets were last traded at on a registered stock exchange; provided, however, that with respect to regulated investment company shares, the Trustee shall rely exclusively on information provided to it by the investment adviser to such funds. 5.8 ALLOCATION OF FORFEITURES. At the time a forfeiture occurs, the amount forfeited will first be used to reinstate any Account required to be reinstated under Section 5.9, and any remaining amount will be applied to the payment of Matching Employer Contributions. 5.9 RESTORATION OF FORFEITED AMOUNTS. If a Member or former Member who forfeited any portion of his Matching Employer Contribution Account pursuant to the provisions of Section 7.10 resumes employment covered under the Plan, then the following provisions shall apply: (a) REPAYMENT REQUIREMENT. The Member's Employer Matching Contribution Account shall be restored if he repays to the Trustee the full amount of any distribution from the Employer Matching Contribution Account with respect to which the forfeiture arose. Such repayment must be made prior to the earlier of (a) the date on which he incurs a Period of Severance of five years, or (b) the fifth anniversary of the first date on which the Member is subsequently re-employed by the Employer. (b) MEMBERS WITH NO VESTED INTEREST. If a Member or former Member who forfeited any portion of his Employer Matching Contribution Account pursuant to the provisions of Section 7.10 received no distribution from his Employer Matching Contribution Account as a result of his termination of participation in the Plan (because his vested percentage was zero), that Account will be restored if, and only if, he resumes employment covered under the Plan prior to incurring a Period of Severance of five years. (c) AMOUNT RESTORED. The amount to be restored under the preceding provisions of this Section shall be the dollar value of the amount in the Member's Employer Matching Contribution Account, both the amount distributed and the amount forfeited, unadjusted by any subsequent gains or losses. The Member's Employer Matching Contribution Account balance shall be restored as soon as administratively V-2 29 practicable after the later of the date the Member resumes employment covered under the Plan or the date on which any required repayment is completed. No distribution shall be made to a Member from his Employer Matching Contribution Account as a result of a prior Separation from service after the restoration of such Account has been effectuated. (d) NO OTHER BASIS FOR RESTORATION. Except as otherwise provided above, a Member's Employer Matching Contribution Account shall not be restored upon resumption of employment covered by the Plan. Any portion of the Trust Fund attributable to Years of Service prior to resumption of employment by a Member whose Employer Matching Contribution Account has not been restored shall be held and distributed in accordance with applicable provisions of the Plan and elections made thereunder. A separate Employer Matching Contribution Account shall be established and maintained for Employer Matching Contributions allocable to such a Member after his resumption of employment covered by the Plan. 5.10 NO VESTING UNLESS OTHERWISE PRESCRIBED. No allocations, adjustments, credits, or transfers shall ever vest in any Member or former Member any right, title, or interest in the Trust Fund except at the times and upon the terms and conditions herein set forth. V-3 30 ARTICLE VI LIMITATIONS ON ALLOCATIONS The Annual Additions that may be credited to a Member's Accounts under this Plan and any other qualified defined contribution plan maintained by an Affiliated Employer for any Limitation Year will not exceed the lesser of $30,000 (as adjusted by the Secretary of Treasury) or 25 percent of the Member's Annual Compensation for the Limitation Year. The Plan will be operated in compliance with section 415 of the Code and the Regulations thereunder, the terms of which are incorporated herein by reference. If Annual Additions are made in excess of the limitation set forth in this Section, to the maximum extent permitted by law, all such excess Annual Additions shall be attributed to this Plan. If an excess Annual Addition attributed to this Plan is held or contributed as a result of the allocation of forfeitures, a reasonable error in estimating a Member's Annual Compensation, a reasonable error in calculating the maximum Salary Deferral Contribution that may be made for a Member under section 415 of the Code or because of any other facts and circumstances that the Commissioner of Internal Revenue finds to be justified, the excess Annual Addition shall be corrected as follows: (a) First, the excess Annual Addition shall be reduced to the extent necessary by distributing to the Employee Salary Deferral Contributions and earnings thereon. These distributed amounts are disregarded for purposes of Sections 4.6 and 4.7 of the Plan. (b) If the Member is still employed by the Employer at the end of the Plan Year, any remaining excess funds shall be placed in an unallocated suspense account to be applied to reduce future Employer Contributions for that Member for as many Plan Years as are necessary to exhaust the suspense account in keeping with the amounts which would otherwise be allocated to that Member's Account. (c) If the Member is not employed by the Employer at the end of the Plan Year, the remaining excess funds shall be placed in an unallocated suspense account to reduce future Employer Contributions for all remaining Members for as many Plan Years as are necessary to exhaust the suspense account. (d) If the Plan terminates prior to the exhaustion of the suspense account, the remaining amount shall revert to the Employer. VI-1 31 ARTICLE VII BENEFITS 7.1 VALUATION OF ACCOUNTS FOR WITHDRAWALS AND DISTRIBUTIONS. For the purpose of making a distribution or withdrawal, a Member's Accounts shall be his Accounts as valued as of the Valuation Date which is coincident with or next follows the event which caused the distribution or withdrawal, adjusted for Contributions, distributions and withdrawals, if any, made between the Valuation Date and that event. The amount of a Plan benefit payable for any reason will be reduced by the unpaid balance of a loan to a Member or Beneficiary. 7.2 DEATH BENEFIT. If a Member or retired Member dies, the death benefit payable to the Member's spouse or designated Beneficiary or Beneficiaries shall be 100% of the remaining amount in all of his Accounts as of the day he dies. 7.3 RETIREMENT BENEFIT. A Member may retire on the first day of any month after he attains his Retirement Age. If a Member retires, he is entitled to receive 100% of all of his Accounts as of the day he retires. 7.4 DISABILITY BENEFIT. If a Member's employment with an Employer is terminated and the Committee determines he is suffering from a Disability, he is entitled to receive 100% of all of his Accounts as of the day he terminated because of his Disability. 7.5 SEVERANCE BENEFIT. If a Member severs employment with the Employer and all Affiliated Employers for any reason other than death, retirement or disability, he is entitled to receive (a) 100% of all of his Accounts, except his Matching Employer Contribution Account, and (b) that percentage of his Matching Employer Contribution Account, if any, as shown in the vesting schedule below, as of the day he severs employment.
Percentage of Amount Invested In Accounts Containing Completed Years of Active Service Employer Contributions - --------------------------------- ---------------------- Less than two years.............................. 0% Two years but less than three years.............. 20% Three years but less than four years............. 40% Four years but less than five years.............. 60% Five years but less than six years............... 80% Six years or more................................ 100%
Prior to a Member's termination of employment with the Employer and all Affiliated Employers, he will have a nonforfeitable interest in the portion of the Matching Employer Contributions specified in the above vesting schedule. VII-1 32 7.6 DISTRIBUTIONS TO DIVORCED SPOUSE. If the Committee determines that a judgment, decree or order relating to child support, alimony payments or marital property rights of the spouse, former spouse, child or other dependent of the Member is a qualified domestic relations order which complies with a state's domestic relations law or community property law and Section 414(p) of the Code or is a domestic relations order entered before January 1, 1985, the Committee may direct the Trustee to distribute the awarded property to the person named in the award but only in the manner permitted under this Plan. To be a qualified domestic relations order, the order must clearly specify: (a) the name and last known mailing address of the Member and each alternate payee under the order, (b) the amount or percentage of the Member's benefits to be paid from the Plan to each alternate payee or the manner in which the amount or percentage can be determined, (c) the number of payments or periods for which the order applies, (d) the plan to which the order applies, and (e) all other requirements set forth in Section 414(p) of the Code. If a distribution is made at a time when the Member is not fully vested, a separate subaccount shall be created for the remaining portion of each Account which was not fully vested. That subaccount shall then remain frozen: that is, no further contributions of any form and no forfeitures shall be allocated to the subaccount; however, it shall receive its proportionate share of trust appreciation or depreciation and income earned on or losses incurred by the Trust Fund. To determine the Member's vested interest in each subaccount at any future time, the Committee shall add back to the subaccount at that time the amount that was previously distributed under the qualified domestic relations order, shall multiply the reconstituted subaccount by the vesting percentage, and shall then subtract the amount that was previously distributed. The remaining amount is the Member's vested interest in the subaccount at that time. 7.7 WITHDRAWALS. Only the following withdrawals may be made during employment: (a) A Member is entitled to receive a withdrawal from his Salary Deferral Contribution Account, his vested interest in his Matching Employer Contribution Account and his Rollover Account in the event of an immediate and heavy financial need incurred by the Member and the Committee's determination that the withdrawal is necessary to alleviate that hardship. A distribution shall be made on account of financial hardship only if the distribution is for: (i) Expenses for medical care described in Section 213(d) of the Code previously incurred by the Member, the Member's spouse, or any dependents of the Member (as defined in Section 152 of the Code) or necessary for these persons to obtain medical care described in Section 213(d) of the Code, (ii) costs directly related to the purchase (excluding mortgage payments) of a principal residence for the Member, (iii) payment of tuition and related educational fees for the next 12 months of post-secondary education for the Member, his or her spouse, children, or dependents (as defined in Section 152 of the Code), (iv) payments necessary to prevent the eviction of the Member from his principal residence or foreclosure on the mortgage of the Member's VII-2 33 principal residence, or (v) any other event added to this list by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. A distribution to satisfy an immediate and heavy financial need shall not be made in excess of the amount of the immediate and heavy financial need of the Member and the Member must have obtained all distributions, other than hardship distributions, and all nontaxable (at the time of the loan) loans currently available under all plans maintained by the Employer. The amount of a Member's immediate and heavy financial need includes any amounts necessary to pay any federal, state or local income taxes or penalties reasonably anticipated to result from the financial hardship distribution. The Member's hardship distribution shall terminate his right to have the Employer make any Salary Deferral Contributions on his or her behalf until the next time Salary Deferral Contributions are permitted after the lapse of 12 months following the hardship distribution and his or her timely filing of a written request to resume his Salary Deferral Contributions. When the Member resumes Salary Deferral Contributions, he cannot have the Employer make any Salary Deferral Contributions in excess of the limit in Section 402(g) of the Code for that taxable year reduced by the amount of Salary Deferral Contributions made by the Employer on the Member's behalf during the taxable year of the Member in which he received the hardship distribution. In addition, for 12 months after he receives a hardship distribution from this Plan the Member is prohibited from making elective contributions and employee contributions to all other qualified and nonqualified plans of deferred compensation maintained by the Employer, including stock option plans, stock purchase plans and Code Section 401(k) cash or deferred arrangements that are part of cafeteria plans described in Section 125 of the Code. However, the Member is not prohibited from making mandatory employee contributions to a defined benefit plan, or contributions to a health or welfare benefit plan, including one that is part of a cafeteria plan within the meaning of Section 125 of the Code. Financial hardship withdrawals will be made in the following order: First withdrawals will be made from the Member's Rollover Account, then from his Matching Employer Contribution Account, and finally, from his or her Salary Deferral Contribution Account. A Member shall not be entitled to make a financial hardship withdrawal of any amount credited to his Qualified Nonelective Employer Contribution Account, or of any income that is allocable or credited to his Member's Salary Deferral Contribution Account. (b) A Member may withdraw part or all of his vested Account balance on or after the date that he attains age 59-1/2. VII-3 34 7.8 LOANS. The Committee may direct the Trustees to make loans to Members (and Beneficiaries who are "parties in interest" within the meaning of ERISA) who have a vested interest in the Plan. The Loan Committee established by the Committee will be responsible for administering the Plan loan program. All loans will comply with the following requirements: (a) All loans will be made solely from the Member's or Beneficiary's Account. (b) Loans will be available on a nondiscriminatory basis to all Beneficiaries who are "parties in interest" within the meaning of ERISA, and to all Members. (c) Loans will not be made for less than $1,000. (d) The maximum amount of a loan may not exceed the lesser of (A) $50,000 reduced by the person's highest outstanding loan balance from the Plan during the preceding one year period, or (B) one-half of the present value of the person's vested Account balance under the Plan determined as of the date on which the loan is approved by the Loan Committee. (e) Any loan from the Plan will be evidenced by a note or notes (signed by the person applying for the loan) having such maturity, bearing such rate of interest, and containing such other terms as the Loan Committee will require by uniform and nondiscriminatory rules consistent with this Section and proper lending practices. (f) All loans will bear a reasonable rate of interest which will be established by the Loan Committee. In determining the proper rate of interest to be charged, at the time any loan is made or renewed, the Loan Committee will contact at least two of the largest banks in the geographic location in which the Member or Beneficiary resides to determine what interest rate the banks would charge for a similar loan taking into account the collateral offered. (g) Each loan will be fully secured by a pledge of the borrowing person's vested Account balance. No more than fifty percent (50%) of the person's vested Account balance (determined immediately after the origination of the loan) will be considered as security for any loan. (h) The term of the loan will not be less than 18 months. Generally, the term of the loan will not be more than 5 years. The Loan Committee may agree to a longer term (but not more than 7 years) only if such term is otherwise reasonable and the proceeds of the loan are to be used to acquire a dwelling which will be used within a reasonable time (determined at the time the loan is made) as the principal residence of the borrowing person. VII-4 35 (i) The loan agreement will require level amortization over the term of the loan. A Member's loan agreement will also require that loan repayments be made through payroll deductions. (j) If a person fails to make a required payment within 30 days of the due date set forth in the loan agreement, the loan will be in default. (k) If a Member has an outstanding loan from the Plan at the time he terminates employment with the Employer and all Affiliated Employers, the outstanding loan principal balance and any accrued but unpaid interest will become immediately due in full. The Member will have the right to immediately pay the Trustee that amount. If the Member fails to repay the loan, the Trustee will foreclose on the loan and the Member will be deemed to have received a Plan distribution of the amount foreclosed upon. The Trustee will not foreclose upon a Member's Salary Deferral Contributions Account or Qualified Nonelective Employer Contributions Account until the Member has terminated employment with the Employer and all Affiliated Employers. (l) If a Beneficiary defaults on his loan, the Trustee will foreclose on the loan and the Beneficiary will be deemed to have received a Plan distribution of the amount foreclosed upon. (m) No person shall be entitled to apply for a new Plan loan until at least 90 days have transpired since he fully repaid his last loan from the Plan. (n) No amount that is pledged as collateral for a Plan loan to a Participant will be available for withdrawal before he has fully repaid his loan. (o) All interest payments made pursuant to the terms of the loan agreement will be credited to the borrowing person's Account and will not be considered as general earnings of the Trust Fund to be allocated to other Members. 7.9 FORFEITURE BY LOST MEMBERS OR BENEFICIARIES. If a person who is entitled to a distribution cannot be located during a search period of 60 days after the Trustee has initially attempted making payment, that person's Account shall be forfeited. However, if at any time prior to the termination of this Plan and the complete distribution of the Trust Fund, the former Member or Beneficiary files a claim with the Committee for the forfeited benefit, that benefit shall be reinstated (without adjustment for trust income or losses during the forfeited period) effective as of the date of the receipt of the claim. As soon as appropriate following the Employer's Contribution of the reinstated amount, it shall be paid to the former Member or Beneficiary in a single sum. VII-5 36 7.10 FORFEITURE ON TERMINATION OF PARTICIPATION. If as a result of terminating his participation in the Plan a former Member receives a distribution of his entire vested interest in his Account, the nonvested amount in his Account is immediately forfeited. A former Member who received no distribution upon his termination of employment with all Affiliated Employers because he had no vested interest shall be treated as if he received a distribution of his entire vested interest and that interest was less than $3,500.00. If a former Member who has a vested interest in his Account received no distribution or a distribution of less than the full amount of his entire vested interest as a result of his termination of participation in the Plan, the nonvested amount in his Account is immediately forfeited following five consecutive one-year Periods of Severance. A distribution shall be treated as if it were made as a result of termination of participation in the Plan if it is made not later than the end of the second Plan Year following the Plan Year in which the former Member's termination occurs. 7.11 CLAIMS PROCEDURE. When a benefit is due, the Member or Beneficiary should submit his claim to the person or office designated by the Committee to receive claims. Under normal circumstances, a final decision shall be made as to a claim within 90 days after receipt of the claim. If the Committee notifies the claimant in writing during the initial 90 day period, it may extend the period up to 180 days after the initial receipt of the claim. The written notice must contain the circumstances necessitating the extension and the anticipated date for the final decision. If a claim is denied during the claims period, the Committee must notify the claimant in writing. The denial must include the specific reasons for it, the Plan provisions upon which the denial is based, and the claims review procedure. If no action is taken during the claims period, the claim is treated as if it were denied on the last day of the claims period. If a Member's or Beneficiary's claim is denied and he wants a review, he must apply to the Committee in writing. That application may include any comment or argument the claimant wants to make. The claimant may either represent himself or appoint a representative, either of whom has the right to inspect all documents pertaining to the claim and its denial. The Committee may schedule any meeting with the claimant or his representative that it finds necessary or appropriate to complete its review. The request for review must be filed within 90 days after the denial. If it is not, the denial becomes final. If a timely request is made, the Committee must make its decision, under normal circumstances, within 60 days of the receipt of the request for review. However, if the Committee notifies the claimant prior to the expiration of the initial review period, it may extend the period of review up to 120 days following the initial receipt of the request for a review. All decisions of the Committee must be in writing and must include the specific reasons for their action and the Plan provisions on which their decision is based. If a decision is not given to the VII-6 37 claimant within the review period, the claim is treated as if it were denied on the last day of the review period. 7.12 FORM OF DISTRIBUTIONS. Distributions shall be made only in cash unless an asset held in the Trust cannot be sold by the distribution date or can only be sold at less than its appraised value, in which event part or all of the distribution may be made in kind. A distribution shall be made in a lump sum payment or, as a Direct Rollover if the Distributee elects, at the time and in the manner prescribed by the Committee, to have any portion or all of the Eligible Rollover Distribution paid directly to an Eligible Retirement Plan named by the Distributee. Any benefit held for distribution past one or more Valuation Dates shall continue to share in the appreciation or depreciation of the Trust Fund and in the income earned or losses incurred by the Trust Fund until the last Valuation Date which occurs with or next precedes the date distribution is made. If the benefit to be distributed is greater than $3,500.00 and the Member or former Member consents to the distribution, the benefit should be distributed or begin to be distributed within one year after the Member or former Member becomes entitled to the benefit. If the benefit is greater than $3,500.00 and the Member or former Member fails to consent to the distribution, the distribution shall not be made without the Member's or former Member's consent until he attains his Retirement Age or age 62, whichever is later. If the Member or former Member dies, the surviving spouse may require payments to begin within a reasonable time. 7.13 TIME OF DISTRIBUTIONS. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, all benefits payable under the Plan shall be distributed, or commence to be distributed, in compliance with the following provisions: (a) DISTRIBUTION DEADLINES FOR MEMBERS OR FORMER MEMBERS WHO ARE 70 1/2 OR OLDER. If a Member or former Member attains 70 1/2, the Member or former Member must elect to receive the distribution required under section 401(a)(9) of the Code in one lump sum or in installments which must commence by his Required Beginning Date. If installments are elected, each installment paid must be equal to or greater than the minimum required distribution under section 401(a)(9) of the Code. (b) DISTRIBUTION DEADLINE FOR DEATH BENEFITS. If a Member or former Member dies before the distribution of his Plan benefit has commenced, his entire interest shall be distributed within five years after his death. If a Member or former Member dies after the distribution of his Plan benefit has commenced, the remaining portion of his interest in the Plan, if any, will be distributed at least as rapidly as under the installment method of distribution selected by him. (c) LIMITATIONS ON DEATH BENEFITS. Benefits payable under the Plan shall not be provided in any form that would cause a Member's death benefit to be more than incidental. Any distribution required to VII-7 38 satisfy the incidental benefit requirement shall be considered a required distribution for purposes of section 401(a)(9) of the Code. (d) COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 401(a)(9). All distributions under the Plan will be made in accordance with the requirements of section 401(a)(9) of the Code and all Regulations promulgated thereunder. The provisions of the Plan reflecting section 401(a)(9) of the Code override any distribution options in the Plan inconsistent with such Section. (e) COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 401(a)(14). Unless the Member or former Member otherwise elects, the payment of benefits under the Plan to the Member or former Member will begin not later than the 60th day after the close of the Plan Year in which occurs the latest of (a) the date on which the Member or former Member attains the later of age 62 or the normal retirement age under the Plan, age 65, (b) the 10th anniversary of the year in which the Member or former Member commenced participation in the Plan, or (c) the Member or former Member Severs Service. 7.14 DESIGNATION OF BENEFICIARY. Each Member has the right to designate and to revoke the designation of his Beneficiary or Beneficiaries. Each designation or revocation must be evidenced by a written document in the form required by the Committee, signed by the Member and filed with the Committee. If no designation is on file at the time of a Member's death or if the Committee determines that the designation is ineffective, the designated Beneficiary shall be the Member's spouse, if living, or if not, the executor, administrator or other personal representative of the Member's estate. If a Member is considered to be married under local law, the Member's designation of any Beneficiary, other than the Member's spouse, shall not be valid unless the spouse acknowledges in writing that he or she understands the effect of the Member's beneficiary designation and consents to it. The consent must be to a specific Beneficiary. The written acknowledgement and consent must be filed with the Committee, signed by the spouse and at least two witnesses, one of whom must be a member of the Committee or a notary public. However, if the spouse cannot be located or there exist other circumstances as described in Sections 401(a)(11) and 417(a)(2) of the Code, the requirement of the Member's spouse's acknowledgement and consent may be waived. If a Beneficiary other than the Member's spouse is named, the designation shall become invalid if the Member is later determined to be married under local law, the Member's missing spouse is located or the circumstances which resulted in the waiver of the requirement of obtaining the consent of the Member's spouse no longer exist. 7.15 DISTRIBUTIONS TO DISABLED. If the Committee determines that any person to whom a payment is due is unable to care for his affairs because of physical or mental disability, it shall have the authority to cause the payments to be made to the spouse, brother, sister or other person the Committee determines to have incurred, or VII-8 39 to be expected to incur, expenses for that person unless a prior claim is made by a qualified guardian or other legal representative. The Committee and the Trustee shall not be responsible to oversee the application of those payments. Payments made pursuant to this power shall be a complete discharge of all liability under the Plan and Trust and the obligations of the Employer, the Trustee, the Trust Fund and the Committee. VII-9 40 ARTICLE VIII TOP-HEAVY REQUIREMENTS 8.1 APPLICATION. The requirements described in this Article shall apply to each Plan Year that this Plan is determined to be a Top-Heavy Plan under the test set out in the following Section. 8.2 TOP-HEAVY TEST. If on the Determination Date the Aggregate Accounts of Key Employees in the Plan exceeds 60% of the Aggregate Accounts of all Employees in the Plan, this Plan shall be a Top-Heavy Plan for that Plan Year. In addition, if this Plan is required to be included in an Aggregation Group and that group is a top-heavy group, this Plan shall be treated as a Top-Heavy Plan. An Aggregation Group is a top-heavy group if on the Determination Date the sum of (a) the present value of the cumulative accrued benefits for Key Employees under all defined benefit plans in the Aggregation Group which contains this Plan, plus (b) the total of all of the accounts of Key Employees under all defined contribution plans included in the Aggregation Group (which contains this Plan) is more than 60% of a similar sum determined for all employees covered in the Aggregation Group which contains this Plan. In applying the above tests, the following rules shall apply: (a) in determining the present value of the accumulated accrued benefits for any Employee or the amount in the account of any Employee, the value or amount shall be increased by all distributions made to or for the benefit of the Employee under the Plan during the five-year period ending on the Determination Date; (b) all rollover contributions made after December 31, 1983 by the Employee to the plan shall not be considered by the plan for either test; (c) if an Employee is a Non-Key Employee under the plan for the Plan Year but was a Key Employee under the plan for another prior Plan Year, his account shall not be considered; and (d) benefits shall not be taken into account in determining the top-heavy ratio for any Employee who has not performed services for the Employer during the last five-year period ending upon the Determination Date. 8.3 VESTING RESTRICTIONS IF PLAN BECOMES TOP-HEAVY. If a Member has at least one Hour of Service during a Plan Year when the Plan is a Top-Heavy Plan, he shall either vest under each of the normal vesting provisions of the Plan or under the following vesting schedule, whichever is more favorable: VIII-1 41
Percentage of Amount Invested In Accounts Containing Completed Years of Active Service Employer Contributions - --------------------------------- ---------------------- Less than two years............................... 0% Two years but less than three years............... 20% Three years but less than four years.............. 40% Four years but less than five years............... 60% Five years but less than six years................ 80% Six years or more................................. 100%
If the Plan ceases to be a Top-Heavy Plan, this requirement shall no longer apply. After that date, the normal vesting provisions of the Plan shall be applicable to all subsequent Contributions by the Employer. 8.4 MINIMUM CONTRIBUTIONS IF PLAN BECOMES TOP-HEAVY. If this Plan is a Top-Heavy Plan and the normal allocation of the Employer Contribution and forfeitures is less than 3% of any Non-Key Employee Member's Annual Compensation, the Committee, without regard to the normal allocation procedures, shall allocate the Employer Contribution and the forfeitures among the Members who are in the employ of the Employer at the end of the Plan Year in proportion to each Member's Annual Compensation as compared to the total Annual Compensation of all Members for that Plan Year until each Non-Key Employee Member has had an amount equal to the lesser of (i) the highest rate of Contribution applicable to any Key Employee, or (ii) 3% of his Annual Compensation allocated to his Account. At that time, any more Employer Contributions or forfeitures shall be allocated under the normal allocation procedures described earlier in this Plan. Salary Deferral Contributions made on behalf of Key Employees are included in determining the highest rate of Employer Contributions. Salary Deferral Contributions made on behalf of Non-Key Employees are not included for that purpose. Amounts that may be treated as Section 401(k) Contributions made on behalf of Non-Key Employees may not be included in determining the minimum contribution required under this Section to the extent that they are treated as Section 401(k) Contributions for purposes of the Actual Deferral Percentage test. In applying this restriction, the following rules shall apply: (a) Each Employee who is eligible for membership (without regard to whether he has made mandatory contributions, if any are required, or whether his compensation is less than a stated amount) shall be entitled to receive an allocation under this Section; and (b) All defined contribution plans required to be included in the Aggregation Group shall be treated as one plan for purposes of meeting the 3% maximum; this required aggregation shall not apply if this Plan is also required to be included in an Aggregation Group which includes a defined benefit plan and this Plan enables that defined benefit plan to meet the requirements of Sections 401(a)(4) or 410 of the Code. VIII-2 42 8.5 COVERAGE UNDER MULTIPLE TOP-HEAVY PLANS. If this Plan is a Top-Heavy Plan, it must meet the vesting and benefit requirements described in this Article without taking into account contributions or benefits under Chapter 2 of the Code (relating to tax on self-employment income), Chapter 21 of the Code (relating to Federal Insurance Contributions Act), Title II of the Social Security Act or any other Federal or State law. If a Non-Key Employee is covered by both a Top-Heavy defined contribution plan and a defined benefit plan, he shall receive the defined benefit minimum, offset by the benefits provided under the defined contribution plan. 8.6 RESTRICTIONS IF PLAN BECOMES SUPER TOP-HEAVY. If the Plan is determined to be a Top-Heavy Plan, the number "1.00" must be substituted for the number "1.25" when applying the limitations of Section 415 of the Code to this Plan, unless the Plan would not be a Top-Heavy Plan if "90%" were substituted for "60%" and the Employer Contribution for the Plan Year for each Non-Key Employee, who is a Member, is not less than 4% of the Member's Annual Compensation. VIII-3 43 ARTICLE IX ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN 9.1 APPOINTMENT, TERM OF SERVICE & REMOVAL. The Board of Directors shall appoint a Committee to administer this Plan. The members shall serve until their resignation, death or removal. Any member may resign at any time by mailing a written resignation to the Board of Directors. Any member may be removed by the Board of Directors, with or without cause. Vacancies may be filled by the Board of Directors from time to time. 9.2 POWERS. The Committee is a fiduciary. It has the exclusive responsibility for the general administration of the Plan and Trust, and has all powers necessary to accomplish that purpose, including but not limited to the following rights, powers, and authorities: (a) To make rules for administering the Plan and Trust so long as they are not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan; (b) To construe all provisions of the Plan and Trust; (c) To correct any defect, supply any omission, or reconcile any inconsistency which may appear in the Plan or Trust; (d) To select, employ, and compensate at any time any consultants, actuaries, accountants, attorneys, and other agents and employees the Committee believes necessary or advisable for the proper administration of the Plan and Trust; any firm or person selected may be a disqualified person but only if the requirements of Section 4975(d) of the Code have been met; (e) To determine all questions relating to eligibility, Active Service, Compensation, allocations and all other matters relating to benefits or Members' entitlement to benefits; (f) To determine all controversies relating to the administration of the Plan and Trust, including but not limited to any differences of opinion arising between an Employer and the Trustee or a Member, or any combination of them and any questions it believes advisable for the proper administration of the Plan and Trust; (g) To direct or to appoint an investment manager or managers who can direct the Trustee in all matters relating to the investment, reinvestment and management of the Trust Fund; (h) To direct the Trustee in all matters relating to the payment of Plan benefits; and IX-1 44 (i) To delegate any clerical or recordation duties of the Committee as the Committee believes is advisable to properly administer the Plan and Trust. The actions of the Committee in exercising all of the rights, powers, and authorities set out in this Section and all other Sections of this Plan, when performed in good faith and in its sole judgment, shall be final, conclusive and binding on all parties. 9.3 ORGANIZATION. The Committee may select, from among its members, a chairman, and may select a secretary. The secretary need not be a member of the Committee. The secretary shall keep all records, documents and data pertaining to its administration of the Plan and Trust. 9.4 QUORUM AND MAJORITY ACTION. A majority of the Committee constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business. The vote of a majority of the members present at any meeting shall decide any question brought before that meeting. In addition, the Committee may decide any question by a vote, taken without a meeting, of a majority of its members. 9.5 SIGNATURES. The chairman, the secretary and any one or more of the members of the Committee to which the Committee has delegated the power shall each, severally, have the power to execute any document on behalf of the Committee, and to execute any certificate or other written evidence of the action of the Committee. The Trustee, after it is notified of any delegation of power in writing, shall accept and may rely upon any document executed by the appropriate member or members as representing the action of the Committee until the Committee files a written revocation of that delegation of power with the Trustee. 9.6 DISQUALIFICATION OF COMMITTEE MEMBER. A member of the Committee who is also a Member of this Plan shall not vote or act upon any matter relating solely to himself. 9.7 DISCLOSURE TO MEMBERS. The Committee shall make available to each Member and Beneficiary for his examination those records, documents and other data required under ERISA, but only at reasonable times during business hours. No Member or Beneficiary has the right to examine any data or records reflecting the compensation paid to any other Member or Beneficiary. The Committee is not required to make any other data or records available other than those required by ERISA. 9.8 STANDARD OF PERFORMANCE. The Committee and each of its members shall use the care, skill, prudence and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing that a prudent man, acting in a like capacity and familiar with such matters, would use in conducting his business as the administrator of the Plan, shall, when exercising its power to direct investments, diversify the investments of the Plan so as to minimize the risk of large losses, unless under the circumstances it is clearly prudent not to do so, and shall otherwise comply with the provisions of this Plan and ERISA. IX-2 45 9.9 LIABILITY OF COMMITTEE AND LIABILITY INSURANCE. No member of the Committee shall be liable for any act or omission of any other member of the Committee, the Trustee, any investment manager appointed by the Committee or any other agent appointed by the Committee unless required by the terms of ERISA or another applicable state or federal law under which liability cannot be waived. No member of the Committee shall be liable for any act or omission of his own unless required by ERISA or another applicable state or federal law under which liability cannot be waived. If the Committee directs the Trustee to do so, it may purchase out of the Trust Fund insurance for the members of the Committee, for any other fiduciaries appointed by the Committee and for the Trust Fund itself to cover liability or losses occurring because of the act or omission of any one or more of the members of the Committee or any other fiduciary appointed under this Plan. But, that insurance must permit recourse by the insurer against the members of the Committee or the other fiduciaries concerned if the loss is caused by breach of a fiduciary obligation by one or more members of the Committee or other fiduciary. 9.10 EXEMPTION FROM BOND. No member of the Committee is required to give bond for the performance of his duties unless required by a law which cannot be waived. 9.11 COMPENSATION. The Committee shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed by the Employer for all expenses properly incurred in the performance of their duties unless the Sponsor elects to have those expenses paid from the Trust Fund. Each Employer shall pay that part of the expense as determined by the Committee in its sole judgment. 9.12 PERSONS SERVING IN DUAL FIDUCIARY ROLES. Any person, group of persons, corporations, firm or other entity, may serve in more than one fiduciary capacity with respect to this Plan, including serving as both Trustee and as a member of the Committee. 9.13 ADMINISTRATOR. For all purposes of ERISA, the administrator of the Plan is the Sponsor. The administrator has the final responsibility for compliance with all reporting and disclosure requirements imposed under all applicable federal or state laws and regulations. IX-3 46 ARTICLE X TRUST FUND AND CONTRIBUTIONS 10.1 FUNDING OF PLAN. This Plan shall be funded by one or more separate Trusts. If more than one Trust is used, each Trust shall be designated by the name of the Plan followed by a number assigned by the Committee at the time the Trust is established. 10.2 INCORPORATION OF TRUST. Each Trust is a part of this Plan. All rights or benefits which accrue to a person under this Plan shall be subject also to the terms of the agreements creating the Trust or Trusts and any amendments to them which are not in direct conflict with this Plan. 10.3 AUTHORITY OF TRUSTEE. Each Trustee shall have full title and legal ownership of the assets in the separate Trust which, from time to time, is in his separate possession. No other Trustee shall have joint title to or joint legal ownership of any asset in one of the other Trusts held by another Trustee. Each Trustee shall be governed separately by the trust agreement entered into between the Employer and that Trustee and the terms of this Plan without regard to any other agreement entered into between any other Trustee and the Employer as a part of this Plan. 10.4 ALLOCATION OF RESPONSIBILITY. To the fullest extent permitted under Section 405 of ERISA, the agreements entered into between the Employer and each of the Trustees shall be interpreted to allocate to each Trustee its specific responsibilities, obligations and duties so as to relieve all other Trustees from liability either through the agreement, this Plan or ERISA, for any act of any other Trustee which results in a loss to the Plan because of his act or failure to act. X-1 47 ARTICLE XI ADOPTION OF PLAN BY OTHER EMPLOYERS 11.1 ADOPTION PROCEDURE. Any business organization may, with the approval of the Board of Directors, adopt this Plan by: (a) A certified resolution or consent of the board of directors of the adopting Employer or an executed adoption instrument (approved by the board of directors of the adopting Employer) agreeing to be bound as an Employer by all the terms, conditions and limitations of this Plan except those, if any, specifically described in the adoption instrument; and (b) Providing all information required by the Committee and the Trustee. An adoption may be retroactive to the beginning of a Plan Year if these conditions are complied with on or before the last day of that Plan Year. 11.2 NO JOINT VENTURE IMPLIED. The document which evidences the adoption of the Plan by an Employer shall become a part of this Plan. However, neither the adoption of this Plan and its related Trust Fund by an Employer nor any act performed by it in relation to this Plan and its related Trust Fund shall ever create a joint venture or partnership relation between it and any other Employer. 11.3 ALL TRUST ASSETS AVAILABLE TO PAY ALL BENEFITS. The Accounts of Members employed by the Employers which adopt this Plan shall be commingled for investment purposes. All assets in the Trust Fund shall be available to pay benefits to all Members employed by any Employer which is an Affiliated Employer with the first Employer. 11.4 QUALIFICATION A CONDITION PRECEDENT TO ADOPTION AND CONTINUED PARTICIPATION. The adoption of this Plan and the Trust or Trusts used to fund this Plan by a business organization is contingent upon and subject to the express condition precedent that the initial adoption meets all statutory and regulatory requirements for qualification of the Plan and the exemption of the Trust or Trusts and that the Plan and the Trust or Trusts that are applicable to it continue in operation to maintain their qualified and exempt status. In the event the adoption fails to initially qualify and be exempt, the adoption shall fail retroactively for failure to meet the condition precedent and the portion of the Trust Fund applicable to the adoption shall be immediately returned to the adopting business organization and the adoption shall be void ab initio. In the event the adoption as to a given business organization later becomes disqualified and loses its exemption for any reason, the adoption shall fail retroactively for failure to meet the condition precedent and the portion of the Trust Fund allocable to the adoption by that business organization shall be immediately spun off, retroactively as of the last date for which the Plan qualified, to a separate Trust for its sole benefit and an identical but separate Plan shall be created, retroactively effective as of the last date XI-1 48 the Plan as adopted by that business organization qualified, for the benefit of the Members covered by that adoption. XI-2 49 ARTICLE XII AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION 12.1 RIGHT TO AMEND AND LIMITATIONS THEREON. The Sponsor has the sole right to amend this Plan. An amendment may be made by a certified resolution or consent of the Board of Directors, or by an instrument in writing executed by the appropriate officer of the Sponsor. The amendment must describe the nature of the amendment and its effective date. No amendment shall: (a) Vest in an Employer any interest in the Trust Fund; (b) Cause or permit the Trust Fund to be diverted to any purpose other than the exclusive benefit of the present or future Members and their Beneficiaries except under the circumstances described in Section 4.8; (c) Decrease the Account of any Member or eliminate an optional form of payment; (d) Increase substantially the duties or liabilities of the Trustee without its written consent; or (e) Change the vesting schedule to one which would result in the nonforfeitable percentage of the Account derived from Employer Contributions (determined as of the later of the date of the adoption of the amendment or of the effective date of the amendment) of any Member being less than the nonforfeitable percentage computed under the Plan without regard to the amendment. If the Plan's vesting schedule is amended, if the Plan is amended in any other way that affects the computation of the Member's nonforfeitable percentage, or if the Plan is deemed amended by an automatic change to or from a Top-Heavy vesting schedule, each Member with at least three years of Service may elect, within a reasonable period after the adoption of the amendment or the change, to have the nonforfeitable percentage computed under the Plan without regard to the amendment or the change. The election period shall begin no later than the date the amendment is adopted or deemed to be made and shall end no later than the latest of the following dates: (1) 60 days after the date the amendment is adopted or deemed to be made, (2) 60 days after the date the amendment becomes effective, or (3) 60 days after the day the Member is issued written notice of the amendment. Each Employer shall be deemed to have adopted any amendment made by the Sponsor unless the Employer notifies the Committee of its rejection in writing within 30 days after it receives a copy of the amendment. A rejection shall constitute XII-1 50 a withdrawal from this Plan by that Employer unless the Sponsor acquiesces in the rejection. 12.2 MANDATORY AMENDMENTS. The Contributions of each Employer to this Plan are intended to be: (a) Deductible under the applicable provisions of the Code; (b) Except as otherwise prescribed by applicable law, exempt from the Federal Social Security Act; (c) Except as otherwise prescribed by applicable law, exempt from withholding under the Code; and (d) Excludable from any Employee's regular rate of pay, as that term is defined under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended. The Sponsor shall make any amendment necessary to carry out this intention, and it may be made retroactively. 12.3 WITHDRAWAL OF EMPLOYER. An Employer may withdraw from this Plan and its related Trust Fund if the Sponsor does not acquiesce in its rejection of an amendment or by giving written notice of its intent to withdraw to the Committee. The Committee shall then determine the portion of the Trust Fund that is attributable to the Members employed by the withdrawing Employer and shall notify the Trustee to segregate and transfer those assets to the successor Trustee or Trustees when it receives a designation of the successor from the withdrawing Employer. A withdrawal shall not terminate the Plan and its related Trust Fund with respect to the withdrawing Employer, if the Employer either appoints a successor Trustee or Trustees and reaffirms this Plan and its related Trust Fund as its new and separate plan and trust intended to qualify under Section 401(a) of the Code, or establishes another plan and trust intended to qualify under Section 401(a) of the Code. The determination of the Committee, in its sole discretion, of the portion of the Trust Fund that is attributable to the Members employed by the withdrawing Employer shall be final and binding upon all parties; and, the Trustee's transfer of those assets to the designated successor Trustee shall relieve the Trustee of any further obligation, liability or duty to the withdrawing Employer, the Members employed by that Employer and their Beneficiaries, and the successor Trustee or Trustees. 12.4 TERMINATION OF PLAN. The Sponsor may terminate this Plan and its related Trust Fund with respect to all Employers by executing and delivering to the Committee and the Trustee, a notice of termination, specifying the date of termination. Any Employer may terminate this Plan and its related Trust Fund with respect to itself by executing and delivering to the Trustee a notice of termination, specifying the date of termination. Likewise, this Plan and its related Trust Fund shall automatically terminate with respect to any Employer if there is a general assignment by that XII-2 51 Employer to or for the benefit of its creditors, or a liquidation or dissolution of that Employer without a successor. Upon the termination of this Plan as to an Employer, the Trustee shall distribute to each Member employed by the terminating Employer the amount certified by the Committee to be due the Member. The Employer should apply to the Internal Revenue Service for a determination letter with respect to its termination, and the Trustee should not distribute the Trust Funds until a determination is received. However, should it decide that a distribution before receipt of the determination letter is necessary or appropriate it should retain sufficient assets to cover any tax that may become due upon that determination. 12.5 PARTIAL OR COMPLETE TERMINATION OR COMPLETE DISCONTINUANCE OF CONTRIBUTIONS. Without regard to any other provision of this Plan, if there is a partial or total termination of this Plan or there is a complete discontinuance of the Employer's Contributions, each of the affected Members shall immediately become 100% vested in his Account as of the end of the last Plan Year for which a substantial Employer Contribution was made and in any amounts later allocated to his Account. If the Employer then resumes making substantial Contributions at any time, the appropriate vesting schedule shall again apply to all amounts allocated to each affected Member's Account beginning with the Plan Year for which they were resumed. 12.6 CONTINUANCE PERMITTED UPON SALE OR TRANSFER OF ASSETS. An Employer's participation in this Plan and its related Trust Fund shall not automatically terminate if it consolidates or merges and is not the surviving corporation, sells substantially all of its assets, is a party to a reorganization and its Employees and substantially all of its assets are transferred to another entity, liquidates, or dissolves, if there is a successor organization. Instead, the successor may assume and continue this Plan and its related Trust Fund by executing a direction, entering into a contractual commitment or adopting a resolution providing for the continuance of the Plan and its related Trust Fund. Only upon the successor's rejection of this Plan and its related Trust Fund or its failure to respond to the Employer's, the Sponsor's or the Trustee's request that it affirm its assumption of this Plan within 90 days of the request shall this Plan automatically terminate. In that event the appropriate portion of the Trust Fund shall be distributed exclusively to the Members or their Beneficiaries as soon as possible. If there is a disposition to an unrelated entity of substantially all of the assets used by the Employer in a trade or business or a disposition by the Employer of its interest in a subsidiary, the Employer may make a lump sum distribution from the Plan if it continues the Plan after the disposition; but the distribution can only be made for those Members who continue employment with the acquiring entity. 12.7 DISTRIBUTIONS UPON TERMINATION OF THE PLAN. A Member is entitled to receive a lump sum distribution on account of the termination of the Plan if the Employer and all Affiliated Employers do not establish or maintain a successor plan within the period ending 12 months after all assets are distributed from the Plan. A distribution on account of the termination of the Plan may be made only in the form of a lump sum payment. Therefore, if a Member's Account balance plus all prior Plan XII-3 52 payments to the Member is more than $3,500 and the Member does not consent to receive an immediate lump sum payment on account of the termination of the Plan the Member will not receive a Plan distribution on account of the termination of the Plan. His Plan benefit will be payable in the future on account of a distribution event other than the termination of the Plan. If the Plan is terminated and does not offer an annuity option (purchased from a commercial provider) and the Employer or an Affiliated Employer maintains another defined contribution plan the Member's Account balance may be transferred to the other plan without his consent if he does not consent to an immediate lump sum distribution from the Plan. For purposes of this Section the term "successor plan" means a defined contribution plan other than an employee stock ownership plan as defined in section 4975(e) or 409 of the Code or a simplified employee pension plan as defined in section 408(k) of the Code. However, the term successor plan does not include any plan in which fewer than two percent of the Plan Members were eligible to participate during the 24 month period beginning 12 months before the time of Plan termination. XII-4 53 ARTICLE XIII MISCELLANEOUS 13.1 PLAN NOT AN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT. The adoption and maintenance of this Plan and its related Trust Fund is not a contract between any Employer and its Employees which gives any Employee the right to be retained in its employment. Likewise, it is not intended to interfere with the rights of any Employer to discharge any Employee at any time or to interfere with the Employee's right to terminate his employment at any time. 13.2 BENEFITS PROVIDED SOLELY FROM TRUST. All benefits payable under this Plan shall be paid or provided for solely from the Trust Fund. No Employer assumes any liability or responsibility to pay any benefit provided by the Plan. 13.3 ANTI-ALIENATION PROVISIONS. No principal or income payable or to become payable from the Trust Fund shall be subject: to anticipation or assignment by a Member or by a Beneficiary to attachment by, interference with, or control of any creditor of a Member or Beneficiary, or to being taken or reached by any legal or equitable process in satisfaction of any debt or liability of a Member or Beneficiary prior to its actual receipt by the Member or Beneficiary. An attempted conveyance, transfer, assignment, mortgage, pledge, or encumbrance of the Trust Fund, any part of it, or any interest in it by a Member or Beneficiary prior to distribution shall be void, whether that conveyance, transfer, assignment, mortgage, pledge, or encumbrance is intended to take place or become effective before or after any distribution of Trust assets or the termination of this Trust Fund itself. The Trustee shall never under any circumstances be required to recognize any conveyance, transfer, assignment, mortgage, pledge or encumbrance by a Member or Beneficiary of the Trust Fund, any part of it, or any interest in it, or to pay any money or thing of value to any creditor or assignee of a Member or Beneficiary for any cause whatsoever. These prohibitions against the alienation of a Member's Account shall not apply to qualified domestic relations orders or domestic relations orders entered prior to January 1, 1985. 13.4 REQUIREMENTS UPON MERGER OR CONSIDERATION OF PLANS. This Plan shall not merge or consolidate with or transfer any assets or liabilities to any other plan unless each Member would (if the Plan then terminated) receive a benefit immediately after the merger, consolidation, or transfer which is equal to or greater than the benefit he would have been entitled to receive immediately before the merger, consolidation, or transfer (if the Plan had then terminated). 13.5 GENDER OF WORDS USED. If the context requires it, words of one gender when used in this Plan shall include the other genders, and words used in the singular or plural shall include the other. 13.6 SEVERABILITY. Each provision of this Agreement may be severed. If any provision is determined to be invalid or unenforceable, that determination shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. XIII-1 54 13.7 REEMPLOYED VETERANS. The requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 will be complied with in the operation of the Plan in the manner permitted under section 414(u) of the Code. 13.8 GOVERNING LAW; PARTIES TO LEGAL ACTIONS. The provisions of this Plan shall be construed, administered, and governed under the laws of the State of Texas and, to the extent applicable, by the laws of the United States. The Trustee or any Employer may at any time initiate a legal action or proceeding for the settlement of the account of the Trustee, or for the determination of any question or for instructions. The only necessary parties to that action or proceeding are the Trustee and the Employer concerned. However, any other person or persons may be included as parties defendant at the election of the Trustee and the Employer. XIII-2 55 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Piper Impact, Inc. has caused this Agreement to be executed this day of March 1997, in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, to be effective the 1st day of January 1997, except for those provisions which have an earlier effective date provided by law, or as otherwise provided under applicable provisions of this Plan. PIPER IMPACT, INC. By____________________________________ ______________________________________ Title XIII-3
   1


                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.9





                                TRUST AGREEMENT

                                    BETWEEN



                               PIPER IMPACT, INC.

                                      AND

                       FIDELITY MANAGEMENT TRUST COMPANY





                            PIPER IMPACT 401(K) PLAN

                                     TRUST





                           DATED AS OF MARCH 5, 1997
   2
                               TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION PAGE - --------- ---- 1 TRUST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT AND REVERSION OF SPONSOR CONTRIBUTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3 DISBURSEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 (a) Directions from Administrator (b) Limitations 4 INVESTMENT OF TRUST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 (a) Selection of Investment Options (b) Available Investment Options (c) Participant Direction (d) Mutual Funds (e) Sponsor Stock (f) Notes (g) Commingled Pool Investments (h) Reliance of Trustee on Directions (i) Trustee Powers 5 RECORDKEEPING AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 (a) General (b) Accounts (c) Inspection and Audit (d) Effect of Plan Amendment (e) Returns, Reports and Information 6 COMPENSATION AND EXPENSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 7 DIRECTIONS AND INDEMNIFICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 (a) Identity of Administrator and Named Fiduciary (b) Directions from Administrator (c) Directions from Named Fiduciary (d) Co-Fiduciary Liability (e) Indemnification (f) Survival 8 RESIGNATION OR REMOVAL OF TRUSTEE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 (a) Resignation (b) Removal 9 SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 (a) Appointment (b) Acceptance (c) Corporate Action
-i- 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED)
SECTION PAGE - --------- ---- 10 TERMINATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 11 RESIGNATION, REMOVAL, AND TERMINATION NOTICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 12 DURATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 13 AMENDMENT OR MODIFICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 14 GENERAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 (a) Employment of Affiliates as Agents for Trustee (b) Entire Agreement (c) Waiver (d) Successors and Assigns (e) Partial Invalidity (f) Section Headings (g) Single Trust (h) Withdrawal (i) Definition of Named Fiduciary 15 GOVERNING LAW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 (a) Massachusetts Law Controls (b) Trust Agreement Controls SCHEDULES - --------- A. Administrative Services B. Fee Schedule C. Investment Options D. Administrator's Authorization Letter E. Named Fiduciary's Authorization Letter F. IRS Determination Letter or Opinion of Counsel G. Telephone Exchange Guidelines
-ii- 4 TRUST AGREEMENT, dated as of the first day of March, 1997, between PIPER IMPACT, INC., a Delaware corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of QUANEX CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation, having an office at 1900 West Loop South, Houston, TX 77027 (the "Sponsor"), and FIDELITY MANAGEMENT TRUST COMPANY, a Massachusetts trust company, having an office at 82 Devonshire Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109 (the "Trustee"). WITNESSETH: WHEREAS, the Sponsor has previously sponsored the Piper Impact 401(k) Plan (the "Plan") for the exclusive benefit of its employees who qualify and their beneficiaries; and WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Sponsor has resolved to amend, restate and continue the Piper Impact 401(k) Plan Trust in the form of the trust agreement between Fidelity Management Trust Company (the "Trust"); and WHEREAS, the Administrative Committee of the Plan is the named fiduciary of the Plan (within the meaning of section 402(a) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA")); and WHEREAS, the Trustee is willing to hold and invest the Plan assets in trust among several investment options selected by the Administrative Committee of the Plan; and 5 WHEREAS, the Sponsor wishes to have the Trustee perform certain ministerial recordkeeping functions under the Plan; and WHEREAS, the Sponsor (the "Administrator") is the administrator of the Plan (within the meaning of section 3(16)(A) of ERISA); and WHEREAS, the Trustee is willing to perform recordkeeping services for the Plan if the services are purely ministerial in nature and are provided within a framework of Plan provisions, guidelines and interpretations conveyed in writing to the Trustee by the Administrator. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing premises and the mutual covenants and agreements set forth below, the Sponsor and the Trustee agree as follows: SECTION 1. TRUST. The Sponsor hereby establishes the amendment and restatement of the Piper Impact 401(k) Plan Trust (the "Trust"), with the Trustee. The Trust assets shall consist of the property held in the Trust on the date of this Agreement , such additional sums of money and Sponsor Stock (hereinafter defined) as shall from time to time be delivered to the Trustee under the Plan, all investments made therewith and proceeds thereof, and all earnings and profits thereon, less the payments that are made by the Trustee as provided herein, without distinction between principal and income. The Trustee hereby accepts the Trust on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement. In accepting this Trust, the Trustee shall be accountable for the assets received by it, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. 2 6 SECTION 2. EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT AND REVERSION OF SPONSOR CONTRIBUTIONS. Except as provided under applicable law, no part of the Trust may be used for, or diverted to, purposes other than the exclusive benefit of the participants in the Plan or their beneficiaries prior to the satisfaction of all liabilities with respect to the participants and their beneficiaries. However, the Sponsor retains the right provided in the Plan to have Trust assets revert to them upon a mistake of fact or disallowance of a deduction based upon any contribution to the Trust. SECTION 3. DISBURSEMENTS. (a) Directions from Administrator. The Trustee shall make disbursements in the amounts and in the manner that the Administrator directs from time to time in writing. The Trustee shall have no responsibility to ascertain any direction's compliance with the terms of the Plan or of any applicable law or the direction's effect for tax purposes or otherwise; nor shall the Trustee have any responsibility to see to the application of any disbursement. (b) Limitations. The Trustee shall not be required to make any disbursement in excess of the net realizable value of the assets of the Trust at the time of the disbursement. The Trustee shall not be required to make any disbursement in cash unless the Administrator has provided a written direction as to the assets to be converted to cash for the purpose of making the disbursement. 3 7 SECTION 4. INVESTMENT OF TRUST. (a) Selection of Investment Options. The Trustee shall have no responsibility for the selection of investment options under the Trust and shall not render investment advice to any person in connection with the selection of such options. (b) Available Investment Options. The Named Fiduciary shall direct the Trustee as to what investment options Plan participants may invest in, subject to the following limitations. The Named Fiduciary may determine to offer as investment options only (i) securities issued by the investment companies advised by Fidelity Management & Research Company ("Mutual Funds"), (ii) equity securities issued by the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor which are publicly-traded and which are "qualifying employer securities" within the meaning of section 407(d)(5) of ERISA ("Sponsor Stock"), and (iii) notes evidencing loans to Plan participants in accordance with the terms of the Plan, , and (iv) collective investment funds maintained by the Trustee for qualified plans.The Trustee shall be considered a fiduciary with investment discretion only with respect to Plan assets that are invested in collective investment funds maintained by the Trustee for qualified plans. (c) Participant Direction. Each Plan participant shall direct the Trustee in which investment option(s) to invest the assets in the participant's individual accounts and the Trustee must comply with any such directions unless it is clear on the direction's face that the actions to be taken under the direction would be prohibited by the fiduciary duty rules of Section 404(a) of ERISA or would be contrary to the terms of the Plan or this Agreement. Such directions may be 4 8 made by Plan participants by use of the telephone exchange system maintained for such purposes by the Trustee or its agent, in accordance with written Telephone Exchange Guidelines attached hereto as Schedule "G". If a Plan participant makes an oral investment via the telephone exchange system, the Trustee will return to that participant a written confirmation of that direction. Any directions made by a Participant using the telephone exchange system shall be treated as a direction made in writing by the Named Fiduciary for purposes of Section 7 hereafter. In the event that the Trustee fails to receive a proper direction, the assets shall be invested in the securities of the Mutual Fund set forth for such purpose on Schedule "C", until the Trustee receives a proper direction. (d) Mutual Funds. Trust investments in Mutual Funds shall be subject to the following limitations: (i) Execution of Purchases and Sales. Purchases and sales of Mutual Funds (other than for Exchanges) shall be made on the date on which the Trustee receives from the Sponsor in good order all information and documentation necessary to accurately effect such purchases and sales (or in the case of a purchase, the subsequent date on which the Trustee has received a wire transfer of funds necessary to make such purchase). Exchanges of Mutual Funds shall be made in accordance with the Telephone Exchange Guidelines attached hereto as Schedule "G". (ii) Voting. At the time of mailing of notice of each annual or special stockholders' meeting of any Mutual Fund, the Trustee shall send a copy of the notice and all proxy solicitation materials to each Plan participant who has shares of the Mutual Fund credited to the participant's accounts, together with a voting direction form for return to the Trustee or its designee. The 5 9 participant shall have the right to direct the Trustee as to the manner in which the Trustee is to vote the shares credited to the participant's accounts (both vested and unvested). The Trustee shall vote the shares as directed by the participant. The Trustee shall not vote shares for which it has received no directions from the participant. With respect to all rights other than the right to vote, the Trustee shall follow the directions of the participant and if no such directions arc received, the directions of the Named Fiduciary. The Trustee shall have no duty to solicit directions from participants. (e) Sponsor Stock. Trust investments in Sponsor Stock shall be subject to the following limitations: (i) Acquisition Limit. Pursuant to the Plan, the Trust may be invested in Sponsor Stock to the extent necessary to comply with investment directions under 4(c) of this Agreement. Up to 100% of the Trust assets may be so invested in Sponsor Stock. (ii) Fiduciary Duty of the Administrative Committee. The Administrative Committee shall continually monitor the suitability under the fiduciary duty rules of section 404(a)(1) of ERISA (as modified by section 404(a)(2) of ERISA) of acquiring and holding Sponsor Stock. The Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, or by reason of any breach, which arises from the directions of the Administrative Committee or Plan Participants with respect to the acquisition and holding of Sponsor Stock, unless it is clear on their face that the actions to be taken under those directions would be prohibited by the foregoing fiduciary duty rules or would be contrary to the terms of the Plan or this Agreement. (iii) Execution of Purchases and Sales. 6 10 (A) Purchases and sales of Sponsor Stock (other than for exchanges) shall be made on the open market on the date on which the Trustee receives from the Administrator in good order all information, documentation, and wire transfer of funds (if applicable), necessary to accurately effect such transactions. Exchanges of Sponsor Stock shall be made in accordance with the Telephone Exchange Guidelines attached hereto as Schedule "G". Such general rules shall not apply in the following circumstances: (1) If the Trustee is unable to determine the number of shares required to be purchased or sold on such day; or (2) If the Trustee is unable to purchase or sell the total number of shares required to be purchased or sold on such day as a result of market conditions; or (3) If the Trustee is prohibited by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Stock Exchange, or any other regulatory body from purchasing or selling any or all of the shares required to be purchased or sold on such day. In the event of the occurrence of the circumstances described in (1), (2) or (3) above, the Trustee shall purchase or sell such shares as soon as possible thereafter and shall determine the price of such purchases or sales to be the average purchase or sales price of all such shares purchased or sold, respectively. The Trustee may follow directions from the Administrative Committee to deviate from the above purchase and sale procedures provided that such direction is made in writing by the Administrative Committee. 7 11 (B) Use of an Affiliated Broker. The Sponsor hereby directs the Trustee to use Fidelity Brokerage Services, Inc. ("FBSI") to provide brokerage services in connection with any purchase or sale of Sponsor Stock in accordance with directions from Plan participants. FBSI shall execute such directions directly or through its affiliate, National Financial Services Company ("NFSC"). The provision of brokerage services shall be subject to the following: (1) As consideration for such brokerage services, the Sponsor agrees that FBSI shall be entitled to remuneration under this authorization provision in the amount of five cents ($.05) commission on each share of Sponsor Stock up to 10,000 shares in a singular transaction, four cents ($.04) commission on each share of Sponsor Stock from 10,001 to 20,000 shares in a singular transaction, and three and one-half cents ($.035) commission on each share of Sponsor Stock in excess of 20,000 shares in a singular transaction. Any change in such remuneration may be made only by a signed agreement between Sponsor and Trustee. (2) Following the procedures set forth in Department of Labor Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption 86-128 (PTCE 86-128), the Trustee will provide the Sponsor with the following documents: (1) a description of FBSI's brokerage placement practices; (2) a copy of PTCE 86-128; and (3) a form by which the Sponsor may terminate this authorization to use a broker affiliated with the Trustee. The Trustee will, within the time periods specified in PTCE 86-128, provide the Sponsor with the confirmations and reports required under PTCE 86-128. (3) Any successor organization of FBSI, through reorganization, consolidation, merger or similar transactions, shall, upon consummation of such 8 12 transaction, become the successor broker in accordance with the terms of this authorization provision. (4) The Trustee and FBSI shall continue to rely on this authorization provision until notified to the contrary. The Sponsor reserves the right to terminate this authorization upon written notice to FBSI (or its successor) and the Trustee, in accordance with Section 11 of this Agreement. (iv) Securities Law Reports. The Administrator shall be responsible for filing all reports required under Federal or state securities laws with respect to the Trust's ownership of Sponsor Stock, including, without limitation, any reports required under section 13 or 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and shall immediately notify the Trustee in writing of any requirement to stop purchases or sales of Sponsor Stock pending the filing of any report. The Trustee shall provide to the Administrator such information on the Trust's ownership of Sponsor Stock as the Administrator may reasonably request in order to comply with Federal or state securities laws. (v) Voting and Tender Offers. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement the provisions of this Section shall govern the voting and tendering of Sponsor Stock. The Sponsor, after consultation with the Trustee, shall pay for all printing, mailing, tabulation and other costs associated with the voting and tendering of Sponsor Stock. (A) Voting. (1) When the issuer of Sponsor Stock prepares for any annual or special meeting, the Sponsor shall notify the Trustee at least thirty (30) days in advance of the 9 13 intended record date and shall cause a copy of all proxy solicitation materials to be sent to the Trustee. If requested by the Trustee the Sponsor shall certify to the Trustee that the aforementioned materials represents the same information distributed to shareholders of Sponsor Stock. Based on these materials the Trustee shall prepare a voting instruction form and shall provide a copy of all proxy solicitation materials to be sent to each Plan participant, together with the foregoing voting instruction form to be returned to the Trustee or its designee. The form shall show the number of full and fractional shares of Sponsor Stock credited to the participant's accounts. (2) Each participant shall have the right to direct the Trustee as to the manner in which the Trustee is to vote that number of shares of Sponsor Stock credited to the participant's accounts (both vested and unvested). Directions from a participant to the Trustee concerning the voting of Sponsor Stock shall be communicated in writing, or by mailgram or similar means as agreed upon by the Trustee and the Sponsor. These directions shall be held in confidence by the Trustee and shall not be divulged to the Sponsor, or any officer or employee thereof, or any other person except to the extent that the consequences of such directions are reflected in reports regularly communicated to any such person in the ordinary course of the performance of the Trustee's services hereunder. Upon its receipt of the directions, the Trustee shall vote the shares of Sponsor Stock as directed by the participant. The Trustee shall vote shares of Sponsor Stock credited to participant's account for which it has received no directions from the participant in the same proportion on each issue as it votes those shares for which it received voting instructions from participants. 10 14 (3) The Trustee shall vote that number of shares of Sponsor Stock not credited to participants' accounts which is determined by multiplying the total number of shares not credited to participant's accounts by a fraction of which the numerator is the number of shares of Sponsor Stock credited to participant's accounts for which the Trustee received voting directions from participants and of which the denominator is the total number of shares of Sponsor Stock credited to participant's accounts. The Trustee shall vote those shares of Sponsor Stock not credited to participant's accounts which are to be voted by the Trustee pursuant to the foregoing formula in the same proportion on each issue as it votes those shares credited to participants' accounts for which it received voting directions from participants. The Trustee shall not vote the remaining shares of Sponsor Stock not credited to participant's accounts. (B) Tender Offers. (1) Upon commencement of a tender offer for any securities held in the Trust that are Sponsor Stock, the Sponsor shall timely notify the Trustee in advance of the intended tender date and shall cause a copy of all materials to be sent to the Trustee. The Sponsor shall certify to the Trustee that the aforementioned materials represent the same information distributed to shareholders of Sponsor Stock. Based on these materials and after consultation with the Sponsor, the Trustee shall prepare a tender instruction form and shall provide a copy of all tender materials to be sent to each plan participant, together with the foregoing tender instruction form, to be returned to the Trustee or its designee. The tender instruction form shall show the number of full and fractional shares of Sponsor Stock credited to the participants account (both vested and unvested). 11 15 (2) Each participant shall have the right to direct the Trustee to tender or not to tender some or all of the shares of Sponsor Stock credited to the participant's accounts (both vested and unvested). Directions from a participant to the Trustee concerning the tender of Sponsor Stock shall be communicated in writing, or by mailgram or such similar means as is agreed upon by the Trustee and the Sponsor. These directions shall be held in confidence by the Trustee and shall not be divulged to the Sponsor, or any officer or employee thereof, or any other person except to the extent that the consequences of such directions are reflected in reports regularly communicated to any such persons in the ordinary course of the performance of the Trustee's services hereunder. The Trustee shall tender or not tender shares of Sponsor Stock as directed by the participant. The Trustee shall not tender shares of Sponsor Stock credited to a participant's accounts for which it has received no directions from the participant. (3) The Trustee shall tender that number of shares of Sponsor Stock not credited to participants' accounts which is determined by multiplying the total number of shares of Sponsor Stock not credited to participants' accounts by a fraction of which the numerator is the number of shares of Sponsor Stock credited to participants' accounts for which the Trustee has received directions from participants to tender (which directions have not been withdrawn as of the date of this determination) and of which the denominator is the total number of shares of Sponsor Stock credited to participants' accounts. (4) A participant who has directed the Trustee to tender some or all of the shares of Sponsor Stock credited to the participant's accounts may, at any time prior to the tender offer withdrawal date, direct the Trustee to withdraw some or all of the tendered shares, and the Trustee shall withdraw the directed number of shares from the tender offer prior 12 16 to the tender offer withdrawal deadline. Prior to the withdrawal deadline, if any shares of Sponsor Stock not credited to participants' accounts have been tendered, the Trustee shall redetermine the number of shares of Sponsor Stock that would be tendered under Section 4(e)(v)(B)(3) if the date of the foregoing withdrawal were the date of determination, and withdraw from the tender offer the number of shares of Sponsor Stock not credited to participants' accounts necessary to reduce the amount of tendered Sponsor Stock not credited to participants' accounts to the amount so redetermined. A participant shall not be limited as to the number of directions to tender or withdraw that the participant may give to the Trustee. (5) A direction by a participant to the Trustee to tender shares of Sponsor Stock credited to the participant's accounts shall not be considered a written election under the Plan by the participant to withdraw, or have distributed, any or all of his withdrawable shares. The Trustee shall credit to each account of the participant from which the tendered shares were taken the proceeds received by the Trustee in exchange for the shares of Sponsor Stock tendered from that account. Pending receipt of directions (through the Administrator) from the participant or the Named Fiduciary, as provided in the Plan, as to which of the remaining investment options the proceeds should be invested in, the Trustee shall invest the proceeds in the investment option described in Schedule "C". (vi) Shares Credited For all purposes of this Section, the number of shares of Sponsor Stock deemed "credited" to a participant's accounts shall be determined as of the relevant date (the record date or the date specified in the tender offer) shall be calculated by reference to the number of shares reflected on the books of the transfer agent as of the relevant 13 17 date, In the case of a tender offer, the number of shares credited shall be determined as of a date as close as administratively feasible to the relevant date. (vii) General. With respect to all rights other than the right to vote, the right to tender, and the right to withdraw shares previously tendered, in the case of Sponsor Stock credited to a participant's accounts, the Trustee shall follow the directions of the participant and if no such directions are received, the directions of the Named Fiduciary. The Trustee shall have no duty to solicit directions from participants. With respect to all rights other than the right to vote and the right to tender, in the case of Sponsor Stock not credited to participants' accounts, the Trustee shall follow the directions of the Named Fiduciary. (viii) Conversion. All provisions in this Section 4(e) shall also apply to any securities received as a result of a conversion of Sponsor Stock. (f) Notes The Administrator shall act as the Trustee's agent for the purpose of holding all trust investments in participant loan notes and related documentation and as such shall (i) hold physical custody of and keep safe the notes and other loan documents, (ii) collect and remit all principal and interest payments to the Trustee, (iii) keep the proceeds of such loans separate from the other assets of the Administrator and clearly identify such assets as Plan assets and (iv) cancel and surrender the notes and other loan documentation when a loan has been paid in full. To originate a participant loan, the Plan participant shall notify the Trustee of the request by use of the Telephone Exchange System. The trustee shall determine, based on the current value of the Plan participant's account, the amount available for the loan. The Plan participant shall then direct the Trustee regarding the amount to be borrowed and the term or period for repayment. 14 18 Based on the most recent interest rate supplied by the Sponsor in accordance with the terms of the Plan, the Trustee shall advise the Plan participant of such interest rate, as well as the installment payment amounts. The Trustee shall forward the loan document to the Plan participant for execution and submission for approval to the Administrator. The Administrator shall have the responsibility for instructing the Trustee as to whether the Administrator has approved the loan. The Trustee shall send the loan proceeds to the Administrator or to the Plan participant in accordance with the directions form the Administrator. In all cases, such approval by the Administrator shall be made within 30 days of the Plan participant's initial request (the origination date). (g) Commingled Pool Investments To the extent that the Administrative Committee of the Plan selects as an investment option the Managed Income Portfolio of the Fidelity Group Trust for Employee Benefit Plans (the "Group Trust"), the Sponsor hereby (A) agrees to the terms of the Group Trust and adopts that it has received from the Trustee a copy of the Group Trust, the Declaration of Separate Fund for the Managed Income Portfolio of the Group Trust, and the Circular for the Managed Income Portfolio. (h) Reliance of Trustee on Directions. (i) The Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, or by reason of any breach, which arises from any participant's exercise or non-exercise of rights under this Section 4 over the assets in the participant's accounts. (ii) The Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, or by reason of any breach, which arises from the Administrative Committee's exercise or non-exercise of rights under this Section 4, unless it was clear on their face that the actions to be taken under the Administrative Committee's directions were prohibited by the 15 19 fiduciary duty rules of section 404(a) of ERISA or were contrary to the terms of the Plan or this Agreement. (i) Trustee Powers. The Trustee shall have the following powers and authority: (i) Subject to paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this Section 4, to sell, exchange, convey, transfer, or otherwise dispose of any property held in the Trust, by private contract or public auction. No person dealing with the Trustee shall be bound to see the application of the purchase money or other property delivered to the Trustee or to inquire into the validity, expediency, or propriety of any such sale or other disposition. (ii) Subject to paragraphs (b) and (c) of this Section 4, to invest in guaranteed investment contracts and short term investments (including interest bearing accounts with the Trustee or money market mutual funds advised by affiliates of the Trustee) and in collective investment funds maintained by the Trustee for qualified plans, in which case the provisions of each collective investment fund in which the Trust is invested shall be deemed adopted by the Sponsor and the provisions thereof incorporated as a part of this Trust as long as the fund remains exempt from taxation under Sections 401(a) and 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. (iii) To cause any securities or other property held as part of the Trust to be registered in the Trustee's own name, in the name of one or more of its nominees, or in the Trustee's account with the Depository Trust Company of New York and to hold any investments in bearer form, but the books and records of the Trustee shall at all times show that all such investments are part of the Trust. 16 20 (iv) To keep that portion of the Trust in cash or cash balances as the Named Fiduciary or Administrator may, from time to time, deem to be in the best interest of the Trust. (v) To make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all documents of transfer or conveyance and to carry out the powers herein granted. (vi) To take any action, whether by legal proceeding, compromise, or otherwise, as the Trustee in its sole discretion believes to be in the best interest of the Trust if there is a default in the payment of any principal or income of the Trust at any time. (vii) To employ legal, accounting, clerical, and other assistance as may be required in carrying out the provisions of this Agreement and to pay their reasonable expenses and compensation from the Trust if not paid by the Sponsor. (viii) To do all other acts that are in accordance with the powers granted to the Trustee under common law, the applicable state trust law and other applicable statutes. (ix) The Trustee is not required to take any legal action to collect, preserve or maintain any Trust property unless it has been indemnified either by the Trust itself, with the approval of the administrative committee of the Plan, or by the Sponsor. Any property acquired by the Trustee through the enforcement or compromise of any claim or claims that has as Trustee of this Trust will become a part of the Trust. SECTION 5. RECORDKEEPING TO BE PERFORMED. (a) General. The Trustee shall perform those recordkeeping functions described in Schedule "A" attached hereto. These recordkeeping functions shall be performed within the 17 21 framework of the Administrator's written directions regarding the Plan's provisions, guidelines and interpretations. (b) Accounts. The Trustee shall keep accurate accounts of all investments, receipts, disbursements, and other transactions hereunder, and shall report the value of the assets held in the Trust as of the last day of each fiscal quarter of the Plan and, if not on the last day of a fiscal quarter, the date on which the Trustee resigns or is removed as provided in Section 8 of this Agreement or is terminated as provided in Section 10 (the "Reporting Date"). Within thirty (30) days following each Reporting Date or within sixty (60) days in the case of a Reporting Date caused by the resignation or removal of the Trustee, or the termination of this Agreement, the Trustee shall file with the Administrator a written account setting forth, all investments, receipts, disbursements, and other transactions effected by the Trustee between the Reporting Date and the prior Reporting Date, and setting forth the value of the Trust as of the Reporting Date. Except as otherwise required under ERISA, upon the expiration of six (6) months from the date of filing such account with the Administrator, the Trustee shall have no liability or further accountability to anyone with respect to the propriety of its acts or transactions shown in such account, except with respect to such acts or transactions as to which the Sponsor shall within such six (6) month period file with the Trustee written objections. (c) Inspection and Audit. All records generated by the Trustee in accordance with paragraphs (a) and (b) shall be open to inspection and audit, during the Trustee's regular business hours prior to the termination of this Agreement, by the Administrator or any person designated by the Administrator. Upon the resignation or removal of the Trustee or the termination of this Agreement, the Trustee shall provide to the Administrator, at no expense to the Sponsor, in the 18 22 format regularly provided to the Administrator, a statement of each participant's accounts as of the resignation, removal, or termination, and the Trustee shall provide to the Administrator or the Plan's new recordkeeper such further records as are reasonable, at the Sponsor's expense. (d) Effect of Plan Amendment. The Trustee's provision of the recordkeeping services set forth in this Section 5 shall be conditioned on the Sponsor delivering to the Trustee a copy of any amendment to the Plan as soon as administratively feasible following the amendment's adoption, with, if requested, an IRS determination letter or an opinion of counsel substantially in the form of Schedule "F" covering such amendment, and on the Administrator providing the Trustee on a timely basis with all the information the Administrator deems necessary for the Trustee to perform the recordkeeping services and such other information as the Trustee may reasonably request. (e) Returns, Reports and Information. The Administrator shall be responsible for the preparation and filing of all returns, reports, and information required of the Trust or Plan by law. The Trustee shall provide the Administrator with such information as the Administrator may reasonably request to make these filings. The Administrator shall also be responsible for making any disclosures to Participants required by law including, without limitation, such disclosures as may be required under federal or state truth-in-lending laws with regard to Participant loans. SECTION 6. COMPENSATION AND EXPENSES. Within thirty (30) days of receipt of the Trustee's bill, which shall be computed and billed in accordance with Schedule 'B" attached hereto and made a part hereof, as amended from time to time, the Sponsor shall send to the Trustee a payment in such amount. All expenses of the Trustee relating directly to the acquisition and disposition of investments constituting part of the Trust, and all taxes of any kind whatsoever that may be levied 19 23 or assessed under existing or future laws upon or in respect of the Trust or the income thereof, shall be a charge against and paid from the appropriate Plan participants' accounts. SECTION 7. DIRECTIONS AND INDEMNIFICATION. (a) Identity of Administrator and Named Fiduciary. The Trustee shall be fully protected in relying on the fact that the Named Fiduciary and the Administrator under the Plan are the individuals or persons named as such above or such other individuals or persons as the Sponsor may notify the Trustee in writing. (b) Directions from Administrator. Whenever the Administrator provides a direction to the Trustee, the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, or by reason of any breach, arising from the direction if the direction is contained in a writing (or is oral and immediately confirmed in a writing) signed by any individual whose name and signature have been submitted (and not withdrawn) in writing to the Trustee by the Administrator in the form attached hereto as Schedule "D", provided the Trustee reasonably believes the signature of the individual to be genuine, unless it is clear on the direction's face that the actions to be taken under the direction would be prohibited by the fiduciary duty rules of Section 404(a) of ERISA or would be contrary to the terms of the Plan or this Agreement. (c) Directions from Named Fiduciary. Whenever the Named Fiduciary or Sponsor provides a direction to the Trustee, the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, or by reason of any breach, arising from the direction (i) if the direction is contained in a writing (or is oral and immediately confirmed in a writing) signed by any individual whose name and signature have been submitted (and not withdrawn) in writing to the Trustee by the Administrative Committee in the 20 24 form attached hereto as Schedule "E" and (ii) if the Trustee reasonably believes the signature of the individual to be genuine, unless it is clear on the direction's face that the actions to be taken under the direction would be prohibited by the fiduciary duty rules of section 404(a) of ERISA or would be contrary to the terms of the Plan or this Agreement. (d) Co-Fiduciary Liability. In any other case, the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, or by reason of any breach, arising from any act or omission of another fiduciary under the Plan except as provided in section 405(a) of ERISA. (e) Indemnification. The Sponsor shall indemnify the Trustee against, and hold the Trustee harmless from, any and all loss, damage, penalty, liability, cost, and expense, including without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees and disbursements, that may be incurred by, imposed upon, or asserted against the Trustee by reason of any claim, regulatory proceeding, or litigation arising from any act done or omitted to be done by any individual or person with respect to the Plan or Trust, excepting only any and all loss, etc., arising from the Trustee's breach of its fiduciary duties under ERISA. (f) Survival. The provisions of this Section 7 shall survive the termination of this Agreement. SECTION 8. RESIGNATION OR REMOVAL OF TRUSTEE. (a) Resignation. The Trustee may resign at any time upon sixty (60) days' notice in writing to the Sponsor, unless a shorter period of notice is agreed upon by the Sponsor. (b) Removal. The Sponsor may remove the Trustee at any time upon sixty (60) days' notice in writing to the Trustee, unless a shorter period of notice is agreed upon by the Trustee. 21 25 SECTION 9. SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE. (a) Appointment. If the office of Trustee becomes vacant for any reason, the Sponsor may in writing appoint a successor trustee under this Agreement. The successor trustee shall have all of the rights, powers, privileges, obligations, duties, liabilities, and immunities granted to the Trustee under this Agreement. The successor trustee and predecessor trustee shall not be liable for the acts or omissions of the other with respect to the Trust. (b) Acceptance. When the successor trustee accepts its appointment under this Agreement, title to and possession of the Trust assets shall immediately vest in the successor trustee without any further action on the part of the predecessor trustee. The predecessor trustee shall execute all instruments and do all acts that reasonably may be necessary or reasonably may be requested in writing by the Sponsor or the successor trustee to vest title to all Trust assets in the successor trustee or to deliver all Trust assets to the successor trustee. (c) Corporate Action. Any successor of the Trustee or successor trustee, through sale or transfer of the business or trust department of the Trustee or successor trustee, or through reorganization, consolidation, or merger, or any similar transaction, shall, upon consummation of the transaction, become the successor trustee under this Agreement. SECTION 10. TERMINATION. This Agreement may be terminated at any time by the Sponsor upon sixty (60) days' notice in writing to the Trustee. On the date of the termination of this Agreement, the Trustee shall forthwith transfer and deliver to such individual or entity as the Sponsor shall designate, all cash and assets then constituting the Trust. 22 26 If, by the termination date, the Sponsor has not notified the Trustee in writing as to whom the assets and cash are to be transferred and delivered, the Trustee may bring an appropriate action or proceeding for leave to deposit the assets and cash in a court of competent jurisdiction. The Trustee shall be reimbursed by the Sponsor for all costs and expenses of the action or proceeding including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees and disbursements. SECTION 11. RESIGNATION, REMOVAL, AND TERMINATION NOTICES. All notices of resignation, removal, or termination under this Agreement must be in writing and mailed to the party to which the notice is being given by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, to the Sponsor c/o Wayne M. Rose, Vice President - Chief Financial Officer, Quanex Corporation, 1900 West Loop South, Suite 1500, Houston, TX 77027, and to the Trustee c/o John M. Kimpel, Fidelity Investments, 82 Devonshire Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109, or to such other addresses as the parties have notified each other of in the foregoing manner. SECTION 12. DURATION. This Trust shall continue in effect without limit as to time, subject, however, to the provisions of this Agreement relating to amendment, modification, and termination thereof. SECTION 13. AMENDMENT OR MODIFICATION. This Agreement may be amended or modified at any time and from time to time only by an instrument executed by both the Sponsor and the Trustee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to reflect increased operating costs the Trustee may once each 23 27 calendar year amend Schedule "B" without the Sponsor's consent upon seventy-five (75) days written notice to the Sponsor. SECTION 14. GENERAL. (a) Employment of Affiliates as Agents for Trustee. The Sponsor acknowledges and authorizes that the Trustee may employ its affiliates to act as its agent in the performance of its responsibilities under this Agreement. In particular, the Sponsor specifically acknowledges and authorizes that the Trustee may employ Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company or its successor to perform recordkeeping functions under this Agreement. The expenses and compensation of any such agent shall be paid by the Trustee out of its fees described in Schedule "B" attached hereto. (b) Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains all of the terms agreed upon between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. (c) Waiver. No waiver by either party of any failure or refusal to comply with an obligation hereunder shall be deemed a waiver of any other or subsequent failure or refusal to so comply. (d) Successors and Assigns. The stipulations in this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, and shall bind, the successors and assigns of the respective parties. (e) Partial Invalidity. If any term or provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any person or circumstances shall, to any extent, be invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of this Agreement, or the application of such term or provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which it is held invalid or unenforceable, shall not be affected 24 28 thereby, and each term and provision of this Agreement shall be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law. (f) Section Headings. The headings of the various sections and subsections of this Agreement have been inserted only for the purposes of convenience and are not part of this Agreement and shall not be deemed in any manner to modify, explain, expand or restrict any of the provisions of this Agreement. (g) Single Trust. The Trust will be a single trust within the meaning of Section 414(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, with respect to the Sponsor and any other employer that adopts the Trust with the consent of the Sponsor and the Trustee. All Trust assets will be available to pay the benefits of all such employers' eligible employees and their beneficiaries. (h) Withdrawal. The employers that adopt this Trust may withdraw from the Trust by giving 60 days written notice of their intent to withdraw to the Sponsor and the Trustee. The administrative committee of the Plan will then determine, within sixty (60) days following the receipt of the notice, the portion of the Trust that is attributable to the members employed by the withdrawing employer and shall forward a copy of the determination to the Trustee. Upon receipt of the determination, the Trustee will segregate those assets attributable to the members employed by the withdrawing employer and will transfer those assets to the successor Trustee or Trustees when it receives a designation of such successor from the withdrawing employer. The withdrawal from the Trust will not terminate the Plan or Trust with respect to the withdrawing employer. Instead, the employer shall, as soon as practical, either appoint a 25 29 successor Trustee or Trustees and reaffirm this Trust as a new and separate trust intended to fund the Plan which is qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code or establish another defined contribution plan and trust intended to qualify under Section 401(a) of the Code. The determination of the administrative committee of the Plan, in its sole discretion, of the portion of the Trust that is attributable to the members employed by the withdrawing employer will be final and binding upon all parties at interest; and, the Trustee's transfer of those assets to the designated successor Trustee shall relieve the Trustee of any further obligation, liability or duty to the withdrawing employer, the members employed by that employer and their beneficiaries, and the successor Trustee or Trustees. SECTION 15. GOVERNING LAW. (a) Massachusetts Law Controls. This Agreement is being made in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Trust shall be administered as a Massachusetts trust. The validity, construction, effect, and administration of this Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, except to the extent those laws are superseded under section 514 of ERISA. (b) Trust Agreement Controls. The Trustee is not a party to the Plan, and in the event of any conflict between the provisions of the Plan and the provisions of this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement shall control. 26 30 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized officers as of the day and year first above written. PIPER IMPACT, INC. Attest: By: --------------------------- ------------------------ Secretary FIDELITY MANAGEMENT TRUST COMPANY Attest: By: --------------------------- ------------------------ Assistant Clerk Vice President 27 31 SCHEDULE "A" ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES Administration * Establishment and maintenance of participant account and election percentages. * Maintenance of the following plan investment options: -Fidelity Asset Manager -Fidelity Contrafund -Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Fund -Fidelity Intermediate Bond Fund -Fidelity Puritan Fund -Fidelity Retirement Growth Fund -Fidelity Money Market Trust: Retirement Money Market Portfolio -Fidelity Managed Income Portfolio -Sponsor Stock * Maintenance of the following money classifications: - Salary Deferral Contribution Account - Matching Contribution Account - Rollover Account - Qualified Non-elective Employer Contribution Account o The Trustee will provide only the recordkeeping and administrative services set forth on this Schedule "A" and as detailed in the Plan Administrative Manual and no others. A) PROVIDE PARTICIPANT TELEPHONE SERVICES 1. Fidelity registered representatives are available from 8:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET to provide toll free telephone service for participant inquiries and transactions. Additionally, participants have 24 hour account balance inquiry access utilizing our automated voice response system. 2. For security purposes, all calls are recorded. In addition, several levels of security are available including the verification of a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and/or any other indicative data resident on the system. 3. Through our telephone services, Fidelity provides the following services: 28 32 o Provide investment information. o Maintain plan and GIC specific provisions. o Process exchanges (transfers) between Fidelity's mutual funds on a daily basis. o Maintain and process changes to participants' contribution allocations for all money sources. o Allow participants to change their deferral and after-tax percentages and provide updates via EDT for customer to apply to its payrolls accordingly. Process all participant loan and withdrawal requests via Fidelity's toll-free telephone service according to plan provisions on a daily basis B) PLAN ACCOUNTING 1. Process payroll contributions according to your payroll frequency via electronic data transfer (EDT) or consolidated magnetic tape. The data format will be provided by Fidelity. 2. Provide plan and participant level accounting for up to nine (9) money classifications for the Plan. 3. Audit and reconcile the plan and participant accounts daily. 4. Provide daily plan and participant level accounting for up to 12 Fidelity managed investment funds. 5. Reconcile and process participant withdrawal requests as approved and directed by the Sponsor. All requests are paid based on the current market values of participants' accounts, not advanced or estimated values. A distribution report will accompany each check. 6. Maintain and process changes to participants' prospective and existing investment mix elections via Fidelity's toll-free telephone service. C) PARTICIPANT REPORTING 1. Mail confirmation to participants of all transactions initiated via Fidelity Telephone Services within three (3) calendar days of the transaction. 2. Prepare and mail via first class to each plan participant a quarterly detailed participant statement reflecting all activity for the period. Statements will be mailed no later than twenty (20) calendar days after each quarter end. D) PLAN REPORTING 29 33 1. Prepare, reconcile and delivery a monthly Trial Balance Report presenting all money classes and investments. This report is based on the parket value as of the last business day of the month. The report will be delivered not later than twenty (20) days after the end of each month in the absence of unusual circumstances. 2. Prepare, reconcile and delivery a Quarterly Administrative Report presenting both on a participant and a total plan basis all money classes, investment positions and a summary of all activity of the participant and plan as of the last business day of the quarter. The report will be delivered not later than twenty (20) days after the end of each quarter in the absence of unusual circumstances. E) GOVERNMENT REPORTING Prepare and furnish to participants and the Internal Revenue Service forms 1099R., as well as financial reporting to assist in the preparation of Form 5500. F) OTHER Performance of non-discrimination limitation testing upon request. In order to obtain this service, the client shall be required to provide the information identified in the Fidelity Discrimination Testing Package Guidelines. PIPER IMPACT, INC. FIDELITY MANAGEMENT TRUST COMPANY By: By: ----------------------- ---------------------------- Date Vice President Date 30 34 SCHEDULE "B" FEE SCHEDULE Annual Participant Fee $20.00 per participant*, subject to a $7,500 per year minimum, billed and payable quarterly. Loan Fee Establishment fee of $35.00 per loan account; annual fee of $15.00 per loan account. Return of Excess Contribution Fee $25.00 per participant, one-time charge per calculation and check generation.
o Other Fees: separate charges for optional non-discrimination testing, extraordinary expenses resulting from large numbers of simultaneous manual transactions or from errors not caused by Fidelity, or for reports not contemplated in this Agreement. The Administrator may withdraw reasonable administrative fees from the Trust by written direction to the Trustee. * This fee will be imposed pro rata for each calendar quarter, or any part thereof, that it remains necessary to keep a participant's account(s) as part of the Plan's records, e.g., vested, deferred, forfeiture, top-heavy and terminated participants who must remain on file through calendar year-end for 1099-R reporting purposes. TRUSTEE FEES To the extent that assets are invested in Mutual Funds, 0.02% per year payable pro rata quarterly on the basis of such assets in the Trust as of the calendar quarter's last valuation date, but no less than $2,500.00 nor more than $5,000.00 per year. To the extent that assets are invested in Sponsor Stock, 0.25% of such assets in the Trust payable quarterly on the basis of such assets as of the calendar quarter's last valuation date. The minimum total Trustee fee is $10,000. PIPER IMPACT, INC FIDELITY MANAGEMENT TRUST COMPANY By: By: ------------------------- --------------------------------- Date Vice President Date 31 35 SCHEDULE "C" INVESTMENT OPTIONS In accordance with Section 4(b), the Named Fiduciary hereby directs the Trustee that participants' individual accounts may be invested in the following investment options: -Fidelity Asset Manager -Fidelity Contrafund -Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Fund -Fidelity Intermediate Bond Fund -Fidelity Puritan Fund -Fidelity Retirement Growth Fund -Fidelity Money Market Trust: Retirement Money Market Portfolio -Fidelity Managed Income Portfolio -Sponsor Stock The investment option referred to in Section 4(c) and 4(h)(v)(B)(5) shall be Fidelity Money Market Trust: Retirement Money Market Portfolio. PIPER IMPACT, INC. By: ------------------------- Date 32 36 SCHEDULE "D" [ADMINISTRATOR'S LETTERHEAD] Ms. Carolyn Redden Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc. 82 Devonshire Street Boston, Massachusetts 02109 [NAME OF PLAN] *** NOTE: This schedule should contain names and signatures for ALL individuals who will be providing directions to Fidelity representatives in connection with the Plan. Fidelity representatives will be unable to accept directions from any individual whose name does not appear on this schedule.*** Dear Ms. Redden: This letter is sent to you in accordance with Section 7(b) of the Trust Agreement, dated as of [date], between [name of Plan Sponsor] and Fidelity Management Trust Company. [I or We] hereby designate [name of individual], [name of individual], and [name of individual], as the individuals who may provide directions upon which Fidelity Management Trust Company shall be fully protected in relying. Only one such individual need provide any direction. The signature of each designated individual is set forth below and certified to be such. You may rely upon each designation and certification set forth in this letter until [I or we] deliver to you written notice of the termination of authority of a designated individual. Very truly yours, [ADMINISTRATOR] By [signature of designated individual] - ------------------------------------ [name of designated individual] [signature of designated individual] - ------------------------------------ [name of designated individual] [signature of designated individual] - ------------------------------------ [name of designated individual] 33 37 SCHEDULE "E" [NAMED FIDUCIARY'S LETTERHEAD] Ms. Carolyn Redden Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc. 82 Devonshire Street Boston, Massachusetts 02109 [NAME OF PLAN] Dear Ms. Redden: This letter is sent to you in accordance with Section 7(c) of the Trust Agreement, dated as of [date], between [name of Plan Sponsor] and Fidelity Management Trust Company. [I or We] hereby designate [name of individual], [name of individual], and [name of individual], as the individuals who may provide directions upon which Fidelity Management Trust Company shall be fully protected in relying. Only one such individual need provide any direction. The signature of each designated individual is set forth below and certified to be such. You may rely upon each designation and certification set forth in this letter until [I or we] deliver to you written notice of the termination of authority of a designated individual. Very truly yours, [NAMED FIDUCIARY] By [signature of designated individual] - ------------------------------------ [name of designated individual] [signature of designated individual] - ------------------------------------ [name of designated individual] [signature of designated individual] - ------------------------------------ [name of designated individual] 34 38 SCHEDULE "F" [LAW FIRM LETTERHEAD] **NOTE: MAY SUBMIT THE PLAN'S IRS DETERMINATION LETTER IF THE LETTER IS NO MORE THAT TWO YEARS OLD. Carolyn Redden Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc. 82 Devonshire Street - MM3H Boston, MA 02109 [NAME OF PLAN] Dear Ms. Redden: In accordance with your request, this letter sets forth our opinion with respect to the qualified status under section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (including amendments made by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974) (the "Code"), of the [name of plan], as amended to the date of this letter (the "Plan"). The material facts regarding the Plan as we understand them are as follows. The most recent favorable determination letter as to the Plan's qualified status under section 401(a) of the Code was issued by the [location of Key District] District Director of the Internal Revenue Service and was dated [date] (copy enclosed). The version of the Plan submitted by [name of company] (the "Company") for the District Director's review in connection with this determination letter did not contain amendments made effective as of [date]. These amendments, among other matters, [brief description of amendments]. [Subsequent amendments were made on [date] to amend the provisions dealing with [brief description of amendments].] The Company has informed us that it intends to submit the Plan to the [location of Key District] District Director of the Internal Revenue Service and to request from him a favorable determination letter as to the Plan's qualified status under section 401(a) of the Code. The Company may have to make some modifications to the Plan at the request of the Internal Revenue Service in order to obtain this favorable determination letter, but we do not expect any of these modifications to be material. The Company has informed us that it will make these modifications. Based on the foregoing statements of the Company and our review of the provisions of the Plan, it is our opinion that the Internal Revenue Service will issue a favorable determination letter as to the qualified status of the Plan, as modified at the request of the Internal Revenue Service, under section 401(a) of the Code, subject to the customary condition that continued qualification of the Plan, as modified, will depend on its effect in operation. Sincerely, [name of law firm] By [signature] ----------------- [name of partner] 35 39 SCHEDULE "G" TELEPHONE EXCHANGE GUIDELINES The following telephone exchange procedures are currently employed by Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc. (FIIOC). Telephone exchange hours are 8:30 a.m. (ET) to 8:00 p.m. (ET) on each business day. A "business day" is any day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open. FIIOC reserves the right to change these telephone exchange procedures at its discretion. EXCHANGES BETWEEN MUTUAL FUNDS Participants may call on any business day to exchange between mutual funds. If the request is received before 4:00 p.m. (ET), it will receive that day's trade date. Calls received after 4:00 p.m. (ET) will be processed on a next day basis. EXCHANGES FROM MUTUAL FUNDS TO SPONSOR STOCK Sponsor Stock exchanges are processed on monthly cycle. Participants who wish to exchange out of a mutual fund into Sponsor Stock may call between the 1st and the 15th of the month. No calls will be accepted after 4:00 p.m. (ET) on the 15th (or previous business day if the 15th is not a business day). Mutual fund shares are sold on the 15th of the month (or the previous business day if the 15th is not a business) and the Sponsor Stock is purchased within two (2) business days after the date on which the mutual fund shares are sold. EXCHANGES FROM SPONSOR STOCK TO MUTUAL FUNDS Participants who wish to exchange out of Sponsor Stock into mutual funds may call between the 1st and the 15th of the month. No calls will be accepted after 4:00p.m. (ET) on the 15th (or previous business day if the 15th is not a business day). The Sponsor Stock is sold on the 16th (or next business day if the 16th is not a business day) and the subsequent purchase into mutual funds will take place five (5) business days later. This allows for settlement of the stock trade at the custodian and the corresponding transfer to Fidelity. Orders for sales of Sponsor Stock must be share specific. EXCHANGES BETWEEN MUTUAL FUNDS AND MANAGED INCOME PORTFOLIO 36 40 Participants who wish to exchange out of a mutual fund into the Managed Income Portfolio may call on any business day. If the request is received before 4:00 p.m. (ET), it will receive that day's trade date. Calls received after 4:00 p.m. (ET) will be processed on a next day basis. EXCHANGES FROM MANAGED INCOME PORTFOLIO TO SPONSOR STOCK Participants who wish to exchange out of the Managed Income Portfolio into Sponsor Stock may call between the 1st and the 15th of the month. No calls will be accepted after 4:00 p.m. (ET) on the 15th (or previous business day if the 15th is not a business day). Managed Income Portfolio shares are sold on the 15th of the month (or the previous business day if the 15th is not a business day) and the Sponsor Stock is purchased within two (2) business days after the date on which the Managed Income Portfolio shares are sold. EXCHANGES FROM SPONSOR STOCK TO MANAGED INCOME PORTFOLIO Participants who wish to exchange out of Sponsor Stock into the Managed Income Portfolio may call between the 1st and the 15th of the month. No calls will be accepted after 4:00 p.m. (ET) on the 15th (or previous business day if the 15th is not a business day). The Sponsor Stock is sold on the 16th (or next business day if the 16th is not a business day) and the subsequent purchase into the Managed Income Portfolio will take place five (5) business days later. This allows for settlement of the stock trade at the custodian and the corresponding transfer to Fidelity. Orders for sales of Sponsor Stock must be share specific. EXCHANGE RESTRICTIONS Participants will not be permitted to make direct transfers from the Managed Income Portfolio into a competing fund. Participants who wish to exchange from the Managed Income Portfolio into a competing fund, must first exchange into a non-competing fund for a period of 90 days. PIPER IMPACT, INC. By: ----------------------- 37
   1
                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.1


                         INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT



We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement of
Quanex Corporation on Form S-8 of our report dated November 22, 1996 appearing
in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Quanex Corporation for the year ended
October 31, 1996.


DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

Houston, Texas
March 7, 1997