Ringmetall AG

Earnings Release • Jul 30, 2009

News Details

Corporate | 30 July 2009 14:55

H.P.I. Holding AG:

H.P.I. Holding AG / Final Results

Release of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory
AG.
The issuer / publisher is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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Annual Report 2008 Published

+++ Sales reported at EUR 47.5 million, on a par with previous year levels
(EUR
49.2 million) despite the economic crisis

+++ EBITDA totals EUR 2.6 million, slightly below the previous year figure
of
EUR 2.8 million

+++ EBIT amounts to EUR 1 million and falls short of the previous year
level
of EUR 1.6 million due to write-downs and depreciations as well as other
operating expenses

+++ Annual net loss of EUR 0.7 million as a result of external influences

+++ Cost cutting and efficiency enhancement programs initiated

+++ Falling sales and earnings figures anticipated for the 2009 financial
year

Munich, 30 July 2009: H.P.I. Holding AG (WKN - Security identification
number 600190; ISIN: DE006001902) today released its figures and annual
report for the year 2008.

Sales totalled EUR 47.5 million, and therefore remained relatively stable
despite the challenging economic environment. This figure was just 3
percent lower than the previous year's sales of EUR 49.2 million. EBITDA
totalled EUR 2.6 million, around 8 percent down on the previous year figure
of EUR 2.8 million. EBIT was reported at EUR 1.0 million in the 2008
financial
year, some 37.5 percent down on the previous year level of EUR 1.6 million.
This decrease can largely be attributed to write-downs on non-current
intangible assets and depreciations on property, plant and equipment, as
well as other operating expenses. The consolidated annual result was
substantially impacted by a series of one-off costs due in part to the
economic crisis. The company recorded an annual net loss of EUR 0.7
million,
particularly as a result of IPO related costs, repayments on investment
grants, as well as write-offs on receivables and risk provisioning due to
falling steel prices made as a result of the economic crisis. In the
previous year, a consolidated annual net profit of EUR 0.4 million was
recorded.

Total assets amounted to EUR 33.9 million as of 31 December 2008. Compared
to
the previous year figure of EUR 32.2 million, this represents an increase
of
5 percent. The equity ratio totalled 46.2 percent on the reporting date
(previous year: 53.5 percent), while liquid assets amounted to EUR 0.7
million at the end of the 2008 financial year (previous year: EUR 1.1
million).

'Both our subsidiaries were able to record relatively positive development
in their niche markets during the 2008 financial year. Both Berger Group,
Europe's leading manufacturer of clamping rings, and Zimmer & Kreim, the
world technology leader in networking and automating eroding machines and
handling systems with software, were able to defend market share thanks to
growth initiatives and even expand in several areas. In addition, we have
initiated and rolled out cost cutting and efficiency enhancement programs
groupwide. This puts us in a good position to deal with the anticipated
falls in demand due to the economic crisis. Nevertheless, we have to be
braced for falling sales and earnings figures in the current financial
year, based on the present order situation in the mechanical engineering
and metal processing industries,' says Jörg Rafael, CEO of H.P.I. Holding
AG.

Our annual report is now available for download on our website at
http://www.hpiholding.de/investor_relations-berichte.html.

The Chairman

About H.P.I. Holding AG:

H.P.I. Holding AG focuses on acquiring majority stakes in specialised SME
manufacturing companies. The holding invests in SME niche operators, which
have established a leading position in their respective market segment. The
value of these companies is to be increased by strategically developing
them in a long-term commitment and by introducing know-how in the fields of
controlling, cost management, investment, finance and expansion. Currently
H.P.I. Holding AG holds two major stakes. These include August Berger
Metallwarenfabrik GmbH - a European market leader in the field of clamping
rings which are mainly used to seal barrels - and Zimmer & Kreim GmbH & Co.
KG - a developer and manufacturer of eroding machines, handling systems and
software solution for the tooling and injection-moulding industries. Zimmer
& Kreim is the technological world leader in the segment systems providers,
i.e. networking eroding machines and handling systems with software. H.P.I.
Holding AG is listed on the Open Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Company contact:

H.P.I Holding AG
Mannhardtstrasse 6
D-80538 München

Phone: +49 (0)89 - 45 220 980
Fax: +49 (0)89 - 45 220 9822
info@hpi-holding.de
www.hpi-holding.de

Investor relations contact:

GFEI Gesellschaft für Effekteninformationen AG
Solitaire
Hamburger Allee 26-28
60486 Frankfurt am Main

Phone: +49 (0)69 - 74 303 700
Fax: +49 (0)69 - 74 303 722
ir-hpi@gfei.de
www.gfei.de

30.07.2009 Financial News transmitted by DGAP

Language: English
Issuer: H.P.I. Holding AG
Mannhardtstr. 6
80538 München
Deutschland
Phone: 089 / 45 22 098 - 0
Fax: 089 / 45 22 098 - 22
E-mail: info@hpi-holding.de
Internet: www.hpiholding.de
ISIN: DE0006001902
WKN: 600190
Listed: Open Market in Frankfurt

End of News DGAP News-Service

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