Clariant sells wholly-owned subsidiary

Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH has sold its subsidiary Industriepark Gersthofen Servicegesellschaft mbH & Co. KG (IGS) near Augsburg to the Mannheim-based company MVV Energiedienstleistungen GmbH. The purchase agreement was signed by representatives of the two companies in Mannheim on 3 August. The sale is still subject to approval by the German antitrust authorities. The parties have agreed to maintain confidentiality as to the purchasing price.

As a subsidiary of MVV Energiedienstleistungen GmbH, IGS will continue to operate its Gersthofen location and to provide its previous range of services. It is not planned to change the name of the company. With regard to the management, continuity will be maintained in the form of Dr. Hermann Teufel on the part of IGS. MVV Energiedienstleistungen GmbH will be represented in the management by Matthias Bolle.

The sale was preceded by intense talks and negotiations. "We attached great priority to finding a buyer with both the necessary expertise and a long-term sustainable strategy for the further development of the overall location," explained Dr. Henri Schlömer, Managing Director of Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH. "The acquisition of IGS fits in superbly with our strategy," commented Dr. Thomas Severin, Managing Director of MVV Energiedienstleistungen GmbH. After all, the company intended to continue to grow organically - among other areas, in the field of outsourcing. Given that Clariant would now be able to focus on its core business, it was a classic win-win situation for all parties involved, added Severin.

Schlömer is convinced that MVV Energiedienstleistungen GmbH represents an excellent choice of future operator for the location. "We did not want to and could not take any risks on this sale. After all, we need a competent and reliable partner for Industriepark Gersthofen, one which will provide infrastructure services to the companies operating here in future," continued Schlömer. "Although we have now sold IGS, this is not the end of the story - it rather marks the beginning of a fruitful cooperation."

MVV Energiedienstleistungen GmbH is a subsidiary of MVV Energie AG which, with annual sales of Euro 2 billion and around 6,500 employees, is the largest German municipal utility network. MVV Energiedienstleistungen GmbH takes over all tasks relating to the supply of energy and utility services to industrial companies and industry parks. It provides in each case a team of experienced experts to take control of all of the tasks involved, from project development through to operations, thus relieving its customers of the entire process.

The company creates networks in many regions of Germany, pooling tasks at individual locations and companies. This generates synergy effects which would not be achievable for any individual location. "As a further location in Bavaria, Industriepark Gersthofen Servicegesellschaft mbH & Co. KG fits into our decentralised structure very well alongside our other projects," stressed Severin.

IGS operates Gersthofen Industrial Park near Augsburg. The company provides the twelve companies located in the industrial park, which have a total of around 1,600 employees, with an optimal mix of infrastructure and services. These include the supply of energy, services in the areas of environmental protection, health and safety (ESHA) and plant services. IGS was founded in 2002 as a subsidiary of Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH to act as an all-round provider of services to the processing industry. The company has around 290 employees and its sales in the past year amounted to approximately Euro 56 million.

Contact

MVV Energie AG:
Roland Kress
Press Spokesperson
Luisenring 49
68159 Mannheim
Tel. ++49 (0)621 290-3413
Fax ++49 (0)621 290-2860
E-Mail: r.kress@mvv.de
Internet: www.mvv-energie.de

Clariant/IGS:
Ingrid Knöpfle
Public Relations
Ludwig-Hermann-Str. 100
86368 Gersthofen
Tel. ++49 (0)821 479-2444
Fax ++49 (0)821 479-2895
E-Mail: ingrid.knoepfle@clariant.com
Internet: www.industriepark-gersthofen.de

Mannheim, 4 August 2006