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                                                                      Exhibit 99


EXHIBIT 99.  CAUTIONARY STATEMENT FOR PURPOSES OF THE "SAFE HARBOR" PROVISIONS 
             OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995.

                          IMPORTANT FACTORS REGARDING
                           FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

    The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ
materially from those contained in forward-looking statements made in this
report and presented elsewhere by management from time to time.

THE COMPANY FACES SIGNIFICANT COMPETITIVE PRESSURE AND OPERATES IN A
CONSOLIDATING INDUSTRY

    AET competes with manufacturers of OPP and other specialty films, such as
polyethylene, cellophane, polystyrene and polyester, as well as with producers
of traditional flexible packaging materials, such as paper and foil, and of
rigid packaging materials, such as glass, metal, plastic, cardboard and other
containers. Quality, performance and price are the primary competitive factors
in the markets in which the Company competes. Many of these markets are very
competitive and a number of the Company's competitors have significantly greater
financial, manufacturing, marketing and distribution resources than the Company.
Competitive forces could substantially impact the Company's operating results
and financial condition.

    The Company continuously evaluates opportunities to make strategic
acquisitions in the specialty film industry, which is currently experiencing a
period of consolidation. In the event that the Company makes a strategic
acquisition, merges with another entity, or otherwise undertakes to combine its
assets or operations with those of another party, there can be no assurance that
such a transaction will produce positive financial results, that the Company
will effectively integrate any such acquired business into its existing
operations, or that the Company will thereafter achieve any of its other
strategic objectives. In addition, the consummation of a business combination
transaction between two or more competitors of the Company could have a material
adverse effect on the Company.

THE COMPANY'S PRODUCTS MUST UNDERGO CONSTANT TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

    The Company's business depends to a large extent upon its ability to
continue identifying, developing and commercializing innovative products to
address new customer requirements or replace existing products, the margins of
which tend to decline as a result of the entry of competitive products into
existing specialized markets. There can be no assurance that the Company will be
able to achieve or maintain this required level of innovation. There also can be
no assurance that the Company's research and development efforts will yield
successful, timely, cost effective, or commercially viable results.

    In addition, the Company or its competitors may introduce new products, or
enhancements to existing products, embodying new technologies, industry
standards, or customer requirements, and having the potential to replace or
provide lower cost alternatives to the Company's existing or future offerings.
The introduction of such new or enhanced products could render existing or
future products of the Company's obsolete and unmarketable. Some of the
Company's competitors have substantially greater financial resources which could
be devoted to research and development, and could place the






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Company at a competitive disadvantage.

THE COMPANY IS HIGHLY LEVERAGED AND SOME OF THIS DEBT BEARS VARIABLE RATES OF
INTEREST

    The Company incurred substantial indebtedness in connection with the
acquisition of its Films Division and its subsequent capital expansion program,
and may incur additional indebtedness in the future to fund operations, finance
acquisitions or for other purposes. As of September 30, 1997, the ratio of the
Company's debt to total debt and stockholders' equity was 64%. The Company's
indebtedness contains financial and restrictive covenants, the failure to comply
with which may result in an event of default, which, if not cured or waived,
could result in the acceleration of this indebtedness and otherwise have a
material adverse effect on the Company.

    The degree to which the Company is leveraged could have important
consequences, including the following: (i) the Company's ability to obtain
additional financing for working capital or other purposes in the future may be
limited; (ii) a substantial portion of the Company's cash flow from operations
will be dedicated to the payment of the principal and interest on its
indebtedness, thereby reducing funds available for other purposes; (iii) the
Company may be more vulnerable to economic downturns and competitive pressures;
(iv) certain of the Company's borrowings are and will continue to be at variable
rates of interest, which could result in higher interest expense in the event of
increases in interest rates; and (v) the Company's ability to refinance or
replace existing indebtedness could subject the Company to interest rates and
other terms which are materially different from those embodied in the Company's
current indebtedness.

    The Company's ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of or
interest on, or to refinance, its indebtedness will depend on its future
operating performance and cash flow, which are subject to prevailing economic
conditions, prevailing interest rate levels and the other risks outlined in this
Exhibit.

COMPANY IS SUBJECT TO VOLATILITY IN THE PRICE AND SUPPLY OF POLYPROPYLENE

    Polypropylene, which is a petroleum derivative, is the basic raw material
used in the manufacture of most of the Company's products, and polypropylene
resin represents a significant percentage of the Company's cost of sales. The
price of polypropylene resin is a function of, among other things, manufacturing
capacity, demand, and the price of petrochemical feedstocks, including crude oil
and natural gas liquids, and resin costs have historically fluctuated. There is
not a direct correlation between resin cost fluctuations and OPP films pricing
and there can be no assurance that future market conditions will ever support a
direct correlation. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to
effectively manage pricing of its products relative to resin costs over the long
term, and the Company's ability to do this could be adversely affected in the
future by competitive pressures, customer buying patterns, technological changes
and other factors. A significant or prolonged narrowing of the spread between
the price of polypropylene and the prices paid for the Company's products by its
customers could have a material adverse effect on the Company.

    Although polypropylene resins are generally available from a large number of
suppliers in sufficient quantities to meet ongoing requirements, the Company
relies on four primary suppliers for the majority of its resin requirements.
There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to






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maintain good relationships with its suppliers or that the Company will continue
to receive an adequate supply of raw materials at competitive prices. Any
significant disruption in the supply of raw materials used in the manufacture of
the Company's products could also have a material adverse effect on the Company.

ANTITAKEOVER PROVISIONS COULD NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE SALE OR SALE PRICE OF THE
COMPANY

    The Company's Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws contain provisions
that could prevent or delay the acquisition of the Company by means of a tender
offer, a proxy contest or otherwise in which stockholders might receive a
premium over the then current market price of the Company's stock. These
provisions include advance notice procedures for stockholders to submit
proposals for consideration at stockholders' meetings or to nominate persons for
election as directors and provide for a staggered Board of Directors.

    In addition, the Company is subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General
Corporation Law, which limits transactions between a publicly held company and
"interested stockholders" (generally, those stockholders who, together with
their affiliates and associates, own 15% or more of the company's outstanding
capital stock). The Company is also subject to an indenture relating to its
Senior Notes issued in connection with the acquisition of its Films division,
which provides that upon the occurrence of a change in control (as defined in
the indenture), the Company will be obligated to make an offer to purchase all
of its then outstanding Senior Notes at a purchase price equal to 101% of the
principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. There can be
no assurance that the Company would have or be able to obtain sufficient funds
to effect such a purchase of its Senior Notes if it were required to do so.

THE COMPANY SELLS A LARGE AMOUNT OF ITS PRODUCTS TO A SMALL NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS

    A significant portion of the Company's net sales (approximately 35% in
fiscal 1997) consisted of sales to five converters, which primarily print,
laminate and resell OPP films to end users. Substantially all of the converted
products are resold by the converters to a relatively small number of large
consumer products companies. There can be no assurance that the Company will be
able to maintain good relationships with its customers or the end-users of its
products, or that the Company will continue to supply its customers at current
sales volumes. Unless replaced, the loss of a significant purchaser or end-user
of the Company's products, or a change in the buying patterns of any such
customer or end user, could have a material adverse effect on the Company.

THE COMPANY IS DEPENDENT UPON KEY PERSONNEL AND HAS A NEED TO HIRE AND TRAIN
ADDITIONAL QUALIFIED PERSONNEL

    The Company believes that its future success depends in part upon its
ability to attract and retain skilled senior management and technical,
professional, marketing, and sales personnel. The Company, along with other
technology-oriented manufacturing companies, faces competition in hiring and
retaining skilled technical, professional, marketing, and sales personnel. In
certain areas, such as chemical and process engineering, and sales and
marketing, the supply of such people is limited. The process of locating
personnel with the combination of skills and attributes required to carry out
the Company's strategy is often lengthy. The Company's employees may voluntarily
terminate their






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employment with the Company at any time. The loss of service of key personnel,
or the inability to attract additional qualified personnel, could have a
material adverse effect on the Company.

A LARGE PART OF THE COMPANY'S PRODUCTION OCCURS AT A SINGLE LOCATION

    The Company's largest manufacturing facility, which accounts for
approximately 75% of the Company's overall OPP films production capacity, is
located in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Company also has significant manufacturing
capacity at other facilities. A fire, flood or other force majeure could cause a
significant disruption in the Company's ability to manufacture at or near its
capacity. While the Company believes it is adequately insured against the
short-term impact of losses and business interruptions of this kind, any such
disruption could have a material adverse effect on the Company.

PERIOD TO PERIOD BUSINESS FLUCTUATIONS HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT ON THE COMPANY

    The Company's operating results may fluctuate for a number of reasons.
Certain of the Company's products experience seasonal sales volume fluctuations
related to the end uses of those products, and the Company's results have
typically followed a similar seasonal pattern, with stronger operating
performance in the third and fourth fiscal quarters. In addition, because the
company plans its operating expenses, many of which are relatively fixed in the
short term, on the basis that its revenues will continue to grow, even a
relatively small revenue shortfall may cause a period's results to be
substantially below expectations. Such a revenue shortfall could arise from any
number of factors including, but not limited to, lower than expected demand,
price pressures, supply constraints, delays in the availability of new products,
transit interruptions, overall economic conditions or natural disasters. Margins
are heavily influenced by product sales mix considerations, any significant or
unexpected change of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company.

    Additionally, the OPP films industry has traditionally been subject to
cyclicality related to the dynamics of supply and demand. While demand for OPP
films has historically increased at the rate of approximately 6% per year, the
industry typically experiences periods of more rapid increases manufacturing
capacity followed by periods of little or no increase. This pattern leads to
periods of excess capacity and lower utilization rates while the rapid increases
in industry capacity temporarily outstrip the more steady but smaller increases
in demand, resulting in more intense industry competition during periods of
expansion. Such periods of more intense competition, and the capital
expenditures associated with capacity increases by the Company, could have a
material adverse effect on the Company.

THE COMPANY RELIES ON THE PROTECTION OF PATENTS AND PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGY

    Certain aspects of the Company's business depend on its trade secrets,
know-how, and other proprietary information as well as intellectual property
rights including various patents and trademarks. The Company generally has a
number of new patent applications pending at any given time relating to product
enhancements and new product developments. No assurance can be given that the
Company's patent applications will issue as patents or that any patents that
have been or may be issued will provide the Company with adequate protection for
the covered products, technology, or target markets. Additionally, there can be
no assurance that the Company's confidentiality agreements will adequately
protect its trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information. Further,
there can be no assurance




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that the Company's activities will not infringe on the patents or proprietary
rights of others or that the Company will be able to obtain licenses to any
technology that it may require to conduct or expand its business or that, if
obtainable, such technology can be licensed at a reasonable cost.

THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPANY'S CAPITAL EXPANSION
PROJECT

    The Company is in the process of constructing a new ten-meter OPP films
production line which will significantly increase the Company's aggregate
manufacturing capacity and is currently scheduled to begin commercial production
in the spring of 1998. The completion and successful commercial operation of
this new line is subject to a variety of factors, some of which are beyond the
Company's control, including successful implementation of an advancement of
existing technology, timely completion of the project by the equipment
manufacturer, and satisfactory testing. There can be no assurance that this
project will be completed on time or be commercially successful.

    This new line will begin production during a period of other capacity
increases in the industry, and the Company must successfully generate enough
customer demand for its products to successfully sell the incremental increase
in OPP films volume which the new line is expected to produce. There can be no
assurance that the Company will succeed in these efforts.

LABOR RELATIONS

    The Company employs approximately 230 production and maintenance workers at
its Covington, Virginia facility who are represented by the United Paper Workers
International Union. The Company entered into a collective bargaining agreement
with the Union which is scheduled to expire in June of the year 2000. While the
Company believes that its employee relations are satisfactory, there can be no
assurance that this will remain the case or that the operations of any of its
facilities would not be the subject of a strike, lock-out or other labor-related
disruption which could have a negative impact of the Company's ability to
manufacture and distribute certain of its products, which in turn could have a
material adverse effect on the Company.

THE COMPANY IS EXPANDING IN FOREIGN MARKETS

    Although the Company has historically sold its products worldwide, as part
of its long term strategy the Company has initiated an expansion program
focusing on a variety of markets outside of North America, including Europe,
South and Central America, and the Pacific Rim, which expansion may occur
through acquisitions or other business combinations, or through internal growth
and capital expansion. Foreign markets pose a variety of risks and challenges
relating to local laws and regulations, cultural differences, fluctuations in
currency exchange rates, and other matters. There can be no assurance that the
Company will succeed with its plans for international expansion or that any such
expansion will produce positive financial results. Any failure in its efforts to
develop international sales and operations, or otherwise achieve its strategic
objectives for international growth, could have a material adverse effect on the
Company.