Ad-hoc | 15 October 2004 11:55

AC-Service and Process Partner Strengthen Their Partnership

Ad-hoc-announcement transmitted by DGAP. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. ——————————————————————————– AC-Service AG increases its equity interest in Process Partner AG to 100%. Enhanced cooperation and sweeping coverage of SAP-related demands and requirements. Stuttgart, St. Gallen 15 October 2004 – In July 2000, AC-Service AG acquired a 40% stake in the SAP consulting company Process Partner AG of St. Gallen as a means of enabling it to provide one-stop outsourcing and consulting services. As was planned at the time, the Process Partner AG shareholders now concur with AC-Service taking over 100% of the shares. 60% of the stock is held for the most part by Process Partner’s active management, which will continue leading the business following the transaction. The purchase price planned for at the time has been adjusted to the current valuation level. Shares are to be transferred in December 2004. Process Partner contributed annual sales equalling EUR 3.1 million and operating earnings of EUR 0.4 million (before scheduled goodwill amortisation of EUR 0.3 million) to the 2003 consolidated earnings. Because the company has been fully consolidated since mid-2000, this agreed transaction will eliminate the other Process Partner shareholders’ minority-interest share of the earnings, which in 2003 totalled EUR 0.2 million. Process Partner is considered a leader when it comes to SAP-based solutions for small to midsize service providers in Switzerland. It has been recognized with a number of awards including the SAP Quality Award (1997) and the SAP Global Business Partner Award (2004). In 2001 Process Partner set a remarkable world record by implementing an entire SAP solution in 24 hours. With such a clear financial integration of Process Partner, the two companies aim to deepen their current level of partnership and, by providing a comprehensive range of products and services to meet the information- technology needs of small and midsize businesses in Switzerland, position themselves as an important supplier of end-to-end IT services on the basis of mySAP solutions. Additional information available on the Internet at http://www.ac-service.com and http://www.processpartner.ch end of ad-hoc-announcement (c)DGAP 15.10.2004 ——————————————————————————– WKN: 511000; ISIN: DE0005110001; Index: Listed: Geregelter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr in Berlin- Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, München und Stuttgart 151155 Okt 04