Corporate | 12 July 2005 13:09

Evotape S.p.A. is the fifth acquisition of ARQUES Industries AG in 2005

Corporate-news transmitted by DGAP. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. —————————————————————————— Italian tape producer Evotape S.p.A. is the fifth ARQUES Industries AG acquisition in 2005 Annualised turnover of the ARQUES group exceeds EUR 400 million. Starnberg, 12.07.2005 – The Starnberg-based equity investment company, ARQUES Industries AG (ISIN DE0005156004), takes over 89% of the Italian adhesive tape manufacturer, Evotape S.p.A. situated in San Pietro Mosezzo, 50 km west of Milan (back-dated to June 1, 2005). The remaining shares go to the ARQUES subsidiary management. The Evotape S.p.A. operations, which formerly belonged to the US-American TYCO company, is the European market leader in adhesive packaging tapes and achieved a turnover of approx. EUR 65 million for the financial year 2004 with approximately 280 employees. The production plants of the company are in San Pietro Mosezzo (Piemont/Italy) and in SS. Cosma e Damiano (Lazio/Italy). The product range includes packaging tape, masking tape and various special tapes. In the two plants almost 400 million m² of tape were manufactured in 2004. Evotape S.p.A. was acquired according to the ARQUES business philosophy. The corporation is taken over free of bank obligations and other financial commitments. All essential means of production are the unencumbered property of the corporation. In addition, the Evotape S.p.A. property includes the 132,000 m² business premises with a built-up area of 40,000 m² in SS. Cosma e Damiano. The operational management of the corporation will be the responsibility of an administrative board, which includes ARQUES executive committee member Markus Zöllner (President), as well as ARQUES managers Holger Kowarsch and Hermann Huber. After the acquisition of Johler Druck GmbH, the SKS Stakusit group, Jahnel- Kestermann Getriebewerke GmbH & Co. KG, and Golf House Direktversand GmbH, Evotape S.p.A. is the fifth successful ARQUES acquisition in 2005. Even taking into account the successful sale of the Schierholz Translift group and the relevant turnover decrease, the company turnover now exceeds EUR 400 million (annualised). “Therefore our short term turnover target of EUR 500 million is”, according to ARQUES chairman, Dr. Dr. Peter Löw, “within reach.” Contact: ARQUES Industries AG Investor Relations Anke Lüdemann Phone: +49 (0) 8151-651 0 End of announcement (c)DGAP 12.07.2005 —————————————————————————— WKN: 515600 ; ISIN: DE0005156004; Index: Listed: Geregelter Markt (Prime Standard) in Frankfurt; Freiverkehr in Berlin- Bremen, München und Stuttgart 121309 Jul 05