ARQUES sells Schierholz Translift group

Starnberg, Jun 29, 2005

The Starnberg-based equity investment company, ARQUES Industries AG (ISIN DE0005156004), today sold the specialist plant engineering company, Schierholz Translift, to two groups of investors. The scope of the transaction includes an over-all solution for all companies within the Schierholz Translift group.

94% of the German company Louis Schierholz GmbH, the company with the highest turnover within the group, was sold within the context of a management buy-out.

The second largest company within the group, Schierholz Translift Schweiz AG, was sold to the Alpenländische Industriekapital AG, Switzerland (AIK), which has also taken over the two smaller corporations, the French Digitron Translift S.A.S. as well as the British Digitron Translift Ltd.

A group of managers of the German Louis Schierholz GmbH had suggested a management buy-out of the company to ARQUES. The sale by means of a management buy-out is a possible exit option within the context of the ARQUES concept. ARQUES was able to support this management buy-out, since a buyer (AIK) was found for the smaller foreign companies at the same time in AIK. As requested by AIK, an ARQUES manager will have a minority share in the Swiss company.

The entire transaction will mean a positive result to the value of approx. EUR 4 mill. for the ARQUES group.

In August 2003 ARQUES took over the specialist engineering company, Schierholz, from the Swiss Swisslog group.

Contact:
ARQUES Industries AG
Investor Relations
Anke Lüdemann
Tel.: +49 (0) 8151-651 0
e-mail: luedemann@arques.de