Corporate | 13 January 2010 07:45
HMS Bergbau AG / Miscellaneous 13.01.2010 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG. The issuer / publisher is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corporate News dated January 13, 2010 HMS Bergbau AG signs exclusive contract with Indonesian coal producer +++ High-quality coal resources secured in the long-term +++ Orders on hand for 2010 at 5-year record +++ Strong financial year 2010 expected +++ Considerable decline in sales and earnings anticipated for financial year 2009 Berlin, January 13, 2010: HMS Bergbau AG, is an international coal trading group with operating expertise in coal mining, logistics and trading. The company has signed an exclusive contract with a coal producer based in Indonesia. The long-term contract secures the supply of a considerable annual trading amount of steam coal to HMS Bergbau AG. 'Thanks to the exclusive contract signed with the Indonesian company we have taken another step toward securing large-scale supplies of high-grade coal resources. Indonesian coal contains a very limited amount of ash and sulfur. Increasingly stringent environmental regulations are making this factor progressively more significant,' explains Heinz Schernikau, CEO of HMS Bergbau. 'We continue to see considerable growth potential in Indonesia. Our subsidiary HMS Indonesia is therefore planning to attain own concessions to secure long-term coal resources.' In the 2010 financial year, HMS Bergbau AG will continue its strategic objective to evolve from a sole coal trading company into a group which encompasses all vertical stages in the supply chain. The company is therefore expecting an increase in operating earnings in the current year compared to the financial years 2008 and 2009. This development is also to be fuelled by enhancing international business activities. 'At the end of 2009 orders on hand, which will translate into sales in 2010, were at a five year high, beating our internal expectations. HMS Bergbau AG is benefitting from the recovery of the market, European coal imports and HMS' strategic group structure,' explains Heinz Schernikau. Declines in performance were prevented in 2008 and 2009 thanks to the risk-averse strategy HMS Bergbau AG pursues in the German market, which involves concluding matching purchasing and sales contracts and carefully selecting reliable business partners. The impacts of the global economic and financial crisis did however result in falling prices and delays in supplies to coal markets. HMS Bergbau AG was also affected by the considerable declines in coal sales to the steel industry and the energy sector. 'The contraction of the global economy and significant one-off effects as a result of expanding international activities will be reflected in the HMS Bergbau financial statements for 2009. We are currently expecting earnings to be balanced despite a significant decline in sales in the Group. Given the development of the Group in Germany, Poland, India, Pakistan and Indonesia we are however extremely positive for the coming years,' explained Sebastian Giese, CFO at HMS Bergbau AG. About HMS Bergbau AG: Berlin-based HMS Bergbau AG is an independent coal trading house specializing in just-in-time deliveries of thermal coal to power plants and other industrial consumers. The company is one of the leading coal trading companies in Germany and markets its products to renowned consumers worldwide. HMS is actively expanding its activities to span coal production and logistics solutions primarily in Asia and Eastern Europe. In addition, the company is developing environmental technologies, in particular concerning underground CO2 capture and storage (CCS technology). HMS has been listed at Germany's Frankfurt Stock Exchange since December 2008. Company contact: HMS Bergbau AG An der Wuhlheide 232 12459 Berlin T.: +49 (30) 65 66 81-0 F: +49 (30) 65 66 81-15 Email: info@hms-ag.com URL: www.hms-ag.com HMS Investor Relations contact: GFEI Aktiengesellschaft Hamburger Allee 26-28 60486 Frankfurt am Main T.: +49 (69) 74 30 37-00 F.: +49 (69) 74 30 37-22 Email: investors@hms-ag.com 13.01.2010 Ad hoc announcement, Financial News and Media Release distributed by DGAP. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de ---------------------------------------------------------------------------