Arntz OPTIBELT Group Announces Record Turnover of Almost 200 Million Euros for 2012

PRESS RELEASE

Arntz OPTIBELT Group announces record turnover of almost 200 million euros for 2012  Growth in the current year once again reaches 3.5 percent over the previous year  Course of expansion and internationalisation are rigorously continued

Höxter, 22 August 2013. The Arntz OPTIBELT Group generated turnover valuing 198.2 million euros in 2012 and with that, has achieved the highest result ever in the history of its company. The turnover of the group of companies has thereby grown by 45 percent since 2009.

Also, with regard to the current year, the Arntz OPTIBELT Group has recorded an increase in turnover and a stable situation concerning orders. With 128.7 million euros by the end of July 2013, the current increase has been determined to be 3.5 percent in comparison to the same period in the previous year. This is ascribed to the growth in Africa and the Near East (+16.2 percent compared with the previous year), followed by Asia (+11.4 percent) as well as North and South America (+5.3 percent). In Europe, despite the economic situation throughout the continent, the Arntz OPTIBELT Group made an one-percent increase in profits. “Our growth actually makes us proud,” said Reinhold Mühlbeyer, chairman of the managing board. “For 2013, we are expecting an increase in turnover to 209 million euros.”

The manufacturer of high performance drive belts is considered one of the most significant medium-sized businesses situated within the eastern Westphalia industrial location. For over 140 years, the Arntz OPTIBELT Group has been established in Höxter and manages a worldwide network of production and distribution locations from here. With a total workforce consisting of almost 1,700 people worldwide, almost 750 members of staff work at the Höxter location. In the production halls, V- belts and ribbed belts for machine engineering, agricultural machinery, the automobile industry, etc. and films for the medical and automotive fields are produced.

The headquarters accommodate central functions for the business areas of sales, logistics, quality management, management, administration, human resources and technical services. “From here, we can supply all of Germany and its surrounding neighbours with our drive belts,” commented Konrad Ummen, member of the management board. “Our success is also thanks to our professional staff and junior employees. In addition, cooperation with renowned universities in the region working within the field of research and development has ensured sustainable development of the OPTIBELT Group.”

“ Heading into the future, we would like to position ourselves as suppliers of technically sophisticated solutions in the drive segment,” explained Reinhold Mühlbeyer with regard to the strategic orientation of the group. “In the process, we will concentrate more on segments including machine engineering, agricultural technology, ‘Lawn & Garden’, as well as the white industry and push the development of market-specific products.”

In addition to investments in Germany, during the second half of 2013, the Arntz OPTIBELT Group is planning to continue its course of internationalisation and its orientation toward growth markets worldwide. Thus, with the installation of modern and efficient burner technology at its Bad Blankenburg location which is situated in Thüringen, energy consumption and its associated costs will be reduced. At the same, the production of the timing belt assortments is currently being expanded.

OPTIBELT is also investing in quality and innovations at its other European sites. In Romania, local development including a laboratory and test facility is being set up and the production programme is being expanded. Moreover, in Letterkenny (Ireland), the company is developing a new high performance product generation for PU timing belts: The DELTA CHAIN Carbon belt was presented for the first time within the scope of this year’s Hanover Trade Fair. In the future, it will be used in the field of general machine engineering for heavy-duty drives and in the quickly growing market of electrically powered two-wheelers. Currently, the production line is being set up with production commencing shortly.

After the relocation and raise in warehousing capacity in Chicago (USA) have been carried out, warehousing and distribution channels in Brazil are to be further expanded in July of 2013. Furthermore in Yekaterinburg (Russia), an additional warehouse is going to be put into operation. Furthermore, OPTIBELT is investing in the emerging Asian market. In addition to established segments, growth potential should also be realised in the automobile industry. In addition, the opening of a sales office and warehouse in Thailand are on the agenda for the fourth quarter.

Picture Left to right: Reinhold Mühlbeyer and Konrad Ummen

About OPTIBELT The Arntz OPTIBELT Group is among the leading manufacturers of high performance drive belts worldwide. OPTIBELT products are used in the field of mechanical engineering, in the automotive branch, in the agricultural machinery sector and in the household appliances industry, just to name a few segments. The family-run company celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2012 and employs 1,700 members of staff worldwide. From its headquarters in Höxter (North Rhine-Westphalia), the Arntz OPTIBELT Group manages its seven production sites situated in five countries throughout Europe and Asia. OPTIBELT maintains a worldwide network of marketing organisations. With its own sites dedicated to sales and logistics, the company is established in Europe, North and South America as well as Southeast Asia.

Media contact Flaskamp Ummen AG Karen Jeratsch Fritschestraße 62 10627 Berlin Telephone: +49 (0)30 46006-145 E-mail: [email protected] Fact sheet Arntz OPTIBELT Group Products

Power Transmission – Belts for industry High performance belts by OPTIBELT hold up to extreme conditions and are used for example in the field of machine engineering: large machinery for construction, stone crushers, cement mixers, coal-fired power plants. The household appliance industry has also relied on OPTIBELT’s V-belts and ribbed belts for decades: in washing machines, dryers, vacuums and kitchen appliances. At high rotation speeds, the belts run with low vibration and are as silent as a whisper. Furthermore, OPTIBELT belts are used in agricultural machinery, such as combine harvesters, tractors and shredders due to their ability to run incredibly smoothly even at continuously alternating rotation speeds, their power transmission free of any loss, in addition to their robustness and environmentally friendliness.

Automotive Technology – Belts for cars, commercial vehicles and buses Whether V-belts, kraftbands, timing belts or ribbed belts – Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, VW, Volvo, Renault, M.A.N., Neoplan or Deutz rely on the belts from Höxter. The maintenance-free ZRK timing belts work impeccably even after thousands of hours of operation under extreme forms of stress. V-belts and ribbed belts with low vibration are very smooth running. The material is very durable and extremely resistant to heat, cold and oil. Within its range of technical services, OPTIBELT offers numerous service tools and measurement devices for the installation and alignment of OPTIBELT motor vehicle products.

Material Handling – Belts for drives and transport Tooth, flat and round section belts made from polyurethane are used in drive, linear and transport technology. OPTIBELT develops special drive solutions for customer- specific fields of application. Elastomer films, X-ray protection material, as well as fitness and rehabilitation resistance bands High-quality elastomer films by OPTIBELT are used in, among other fields, the automobile industry, for household appliances, in the electrical industry, in machine engineering and for medical technology or in the fields of personal or occupational safety. OPTIBELT X-ray protection grades offer high levels of shielding at very low weights and phenomenal flexibility due to the amount of rubber used. The product range also includes, in addition to versions containing lead, lead-reduced and lead- free versions. In addition, OPTIBELT, being a reliable producer of state-of-the-art fitness and rehabilitation resistance bands, has made a name for itself. Developments such as the latex-free fitness band show our continuously increasing enthusiasm for innovation.