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Abonner Klöckner & Co AG

Klöckner & Co AG

Very sound start into the financial year 2008

Duisburg (euro adhoc) -

•	Sales volumes and sales up considerably
•	Earnings improvement of over 18%
•	Continuation of expansion strategy and focus on the core business
•	Positive outlook on financial year 2008
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Duisburg - May 15, 2008 - In the first
quarter of 2008, the Klöckner & Co Group improved its sales volume by
5.6%, supported by its successful acquisition strategy, and boosted 
its sales by 7.1% against the first quarter of the previous year. The
operating result (EBITDA) was improved by 18.3% to EUR 109 million in
the same period and the consolidated net profit for the period by 
12.4% to EUR 52 million. The Group, which is excellently positioned 
in Europe and North America, benefited from the ongoing good demand 
situation and the favorable price and margin trend against the end of
2007.
As a result of the acquisitions of Multitubes in Great Britain and 
especially Temtco Steel in the USA, the expansion strategy was 
successfully continued. As part of the further focus on the core 
business, the agreement to sale the Canadian subsidiary Namasco 
Limited to the Canadian company, Samuel, Son & Co. Ltd., was signed 
on May 14, 2008. The acquisition is still subject to the approval of 
the Canadian antitrust authorities. Following the full takeover of 
the Swiss country operation, Klöckner & Co is currently examining the
disposal of one of its Swiss subsidiaries, Koenig Verbindungstechnik 
(KVT), whose products (fastening technology and Koenig sealing plugs)
are not part of the core business at Klöckner & Co. The company 
generated sales of around EUR 120 million in financial year 2007.
"By selling the Canadian subsidiary, which mainly operates in the 
automotive sector, and purchasing Temtco Steel, which specializes in 
plates, we have substantially expanded our product portfolio in North
America in faster-growing areas with a high share of preprocessing. 
By selling KVT, we would be continuing to concentrate on our core 
business and freeing up additional funds for further expansion," 
explains Dr. Thomas Ludwig, CEO of Klöckner & Co AG.
The good first quarter and the unchanged bright prospects for the 
second quarter form a solid foundation for further earnings growth in
the current financial year. "We are very satisfied with our start in 
the financial year 2008. The expansion driven by acquisitions, the 
continuous optimization of the company and the sound demand and price
development have all had a significantly positive effect. We expect 
earnings growth in the second quarter to be even better due to the 
sharp increases in prices for steel products and the integration of 
Temtco Steel. We also anticipate that the sound demand and price 
development will continue throughout the rest of the year and expect 
net profit for 2008 that is substantially higher than the previous 
year´s level," adds Dr. Thomas Ludwig.
About Klöckner & Co: Klöckner & Co is the largest 
producer-independent distributor of steel and metal products in the 
European and North American markets combined. The core business of 
the Klöckner & Co Group is the storage and distribution of steel and 
non-ferrous metals. About 210,000 active customers are supplied 
through more than 260 distribution locations in 15 countries in 
Europe and North America. During the financial year 2007, the Company
achieved sales of approximately EUR6.3 billion with more than 10,000 
employees.
The shares of Klöckner & Co Aktiengesellschaft are admitted to 
trading on the official market segment (Amtlicher Markt) of the 
Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse) with 
simultaneous admission to the sub-segment (Prime Standard) to the 
official market with further post-admission obligations. ISIN: 
DE000KC01000; WKN: KC0100; Common Code: 025808576. Klöckner & Co 
shares are listed in the MDax® Index of Deutsche Börse.
Contact persons:
Peter Ringsleben, Claudia Uhlendorf - Corporate Communications
Peter Ringsleben
Phone: +49-203-307-2800
Fax: +49-203-307-5060
E-mail:  peter.ringsleben@kloeckner.de
Claudia Uhlendorf
Phone: +49-203-307-2289
Fax: +49-203-307-5103
E-mail:  claudia.uhlendorf@kloeckner.de
Claudia Nickolaus - Investor Relations
Phone: +49-203-307-2050
Fax: +49-203-307-5025
E-Mail:  claudia.nickolaus@kloeckner.de
end of announcement                               euro adhoc

Further inquiry note:

Claudia Uhlendorf
Telefon: +49(0)203-307-2289
E-Mail: claudia.uhlendorf@kloeckner.de

Branche: Metal Goods & Engineering
ISIN: DE000KC01000
WKN: KC0100
Index: MDAX, CDAX, Classic All Share, Prime All Share
Börsen: Börse Frankfurt / regulated dealing/prime standard
Börse Berlin / free trade
Börse Hamburg / free trade
Börse Stuttgart / free trade
Börse Düsseldorf / free trade
Börse München / free trade

Plus de actualités: Klöckner & Co AG
Plus de actualités: Klöckner & Co AG