Corporate | 27 October 2005 14:15

ARQUES: Capital increase finalised by the deposit of Sommer Fahrzeugbau

Corporate-news transmitted by DGAP. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. —————————————————————————— Capital increase finalised by the deposit of Sommer Fahrzeugbau 200,000 new ARQUES shares issued Starnberg, October 27, 2005 – By registration at the Munich district court on 24.10.2005, the previously announced capital increase at ARQUES Industries AG (ISIN DE0005156004) regarding the acquisition of Sommer Fahrzeugbau, has now also been executed in the trade register. Thus the share capital of the company increases from EURO 2,226,667 to EURO 2,426,667. According to the appraisal by the court appointed chartered accountant, which was executed according to IDW standards and based solely on capitalised earnings value criteria, the capitalised earnings value stands at approximately EURO 30 million. Furthermore the company has considerable unencumbered assets. Thus the management expects influxes of approximately EURO 8 million by means of the sale of real estate not essential to operations. According to an independent evaluation, the remaining properties have a value of more than EURO 15 million. Management expects a further extraordinary cash return up to the year end of EURO 5 to 10 million from the dissolution of dormant reserves and the distribution of the high quantity of existing vehicles. The liquidity up to the date of deposit amounted to EURO 8 million. Meanwhile the restructuring is proceeding rapidly. After waivers to the value of over EURO 1,5 million were agreed upon with all suppliers, production is running at full speed. The utilisation ratio could be increased to 98%. Positive impulses also resulted from this year’s trade fair for cargo securing (LaSi), which took place from October 14 to 16, 2005 in Rheda-Wiedenbrück (North-Rhine/Westphalia). The new ARQUES shares were purchased by institutional investors, predominantly from Anglo-Saxon areas, who will keep the shares in the long-term. The share issue was more than doubly oversubscribed. The free float could be increased from 70.4% to 72.8% by way of the capital increase. ARQUES’ own capital funds increased by approximately EURO 26 million due to this single measure. About ARQUES ARQUES Industries AG, Starnberg, is a turnaround specialist who focuses on the acquisition and the active restructuring of companies in transitional situations, in order to develop these, with its own team and own resources, to competitive enterprises with a positive yield. ARQUES revitalises its subsidiaries’ potential for creating value for the benefit of all its stakeholders, taking on the relevant social responsibility. ARQUES has made a duty of identifying underestimated companies with reduced survivability but with high appreciation potential, at the same time mastering complex company structures and transitional situations. The shares of ARQUES Industries AG are traded in the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol “AQU” (ISIN: DE0005156004) and are listed in the SDAX since September 19, 2005. Contact: ARQUES Industries AG Investor Relations & Corporate Communication Anke Lüdemann Tel.: +49 (0) 8151/ 651 0 Email: luedemann@arques.de End of announcement (c)DGAP 27.10.2005 —————————————————————————— WKN: 515600 ; ISIN: DE0005156004; Index: SDAX Listed: Geregelter Markt (Prime Standard) in Frankfurt; Freiverkehr in Berlin- Bremen, München und Stuttgart 271415 Okt 05