05-21-2013 Minister for Economics Garrelt Duin Visits our Site in Bonn Bonn, May 21, 2013. A delegation led by Mr. Garrelt Duin, Minister for Economics, Energy, Industry and Commerce of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia visited SGL Group's production facility in Bonn. The delegation included Ulrich Kelber (SPD), Bundestag member for the electoral district of Bonn, SPD state parliament member Renate Hendricks, Bernhard von Gr nberg and Dr. Helmut Redeker (SPD), member of the Bonn city council and construction planning spokesman. The occasion of the visit was to tour the new graphite production center. The heart of the new production facility includes the world's largest isostatic graphite press with a weight of approximately 900 tons. This press will enable SGL Group to meet the growing demand for increasingly larger molded parts comprised of isostatic pressed graphite. Production is scheduled to start in January 2014.During the visit, the delegation discussed challenges that German production facilities face today. One of the many topics reviewed included the increasing cost of electricity, which is continuing to rise due to the German Renewable Energies Act (Erneuerbaren-Energie-Gesetz (EEG). These rising costs place a great burden on those industries that require large amounts of energy, such as the graphite industry, as it weakens the companies' ability to compete. If energy intensive production facilities move to other countries with lower energy costs, this will not necessarily guarantee a reduction of CO2 emissions.
Hans-Michael G ther, Site Manager of the Bonn plant: SGL Group is currently one of the largest industrial employers in the region with more than 30 years experience in isographite production. Our investment in the new graphite center underlines our commitment to the city of Bonn. We will continue to contribute to strengthening SGL Group's leading position in the future markets of semiconductors, photovoltaics and LEDs. As such, this will require competitive economic conditions compared to that of other countries.
Expanding the Bonn facility is an integral part of an investment program in the global value chain for the manufacture of isostatic graphite. In addition to developing the production in Bonn, SGL Group is also investing in its Chinese sites in Yangquan and Shanghai. This is part of SGL Group's strategy to supply growth markets such as China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan from our own local production thus further defining our leading global market position in these rapidly growing markets.
Isostatic graphite is essential for manufacturing polysilicon and silicon monocrystal for the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries. Graphite components are also used in the production of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). SGL Group is one of the world's leading suppliers in this field as well.
About SGL Group The Carbon Company SGL Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of carbon-based products and materials. It has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibers and composites. SGL Group's core competencies are its expertise in high-temperature technology as well as its applications and engineering know-how gained over many years. These competencies enable the Company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group's carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as very good electrical and thermal conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance as well as high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to industrialization in the growth regions of Asia and Latin America and increased substitution of traditional with innovative materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group's high-performance materials and products. Products from SGL Group are used predominantly in the steel, aluminum, automotive and chemical industries as well as in the semiconductor, solar and LED sectors and in lithium-ion batteries. Carbon-based materials and products are also being used increasingly in the wind power, aerospace and defense industries.
With 46 production sites in Europe, North America and Asia as well as a service network covering more than 100 countries, SGL Group is a company with a global presence. In 2012, the Company's workforce of around 6,700 employees generated sales of 1,709 million. The Company's head office is located in Wiesbaden.
Further information on the SGL Group can be found online at: www.sglgroup.com.
Important note: This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on the information currently available to us and on our current projections and assumptions. By nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, as a consequence of which actual developments and results can deviate significantly from these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not to be understood as guarantees. Rather, future developments and results depend on a number of factors; they entail various risks and unanticipated circumstances and are based on assumptions which may prove to be inaccurate. These risks and uncertainties include, for example, unforeseeable changes in political, economic, legal, and business conditions, particularly relating to our main customer industries, such as electric steel production, to the competitive environment, to interest rate and exchange rate fluctuations, to technological developments, and to other risks and unanticipated circumstances. Other risks that in our opinion may arise include price developments, unexpected developments connected with acquisitions and subsidiaries, and unforeseen risks associated with ongoing cost savings programs. SGL Group does not intend or assume any responsibility to revise or otherwise update these forward-looki
