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[March 2005]
Wienerberger Acquires Majority Stake in Mueller Dachziegelwerke
Wienerberger AG (Vienna, Austria) signed a contract on 15 March 2005 for the acquisition of a majority stake in the well known company F v Mueller Dachziegelwerke GmbH & Co KG by Wienerberger Ziegelindustrie GmbH Germany.
"This investment represents an important step in the strategic development of our German roof tile business,"commented Johann Windisch, member of the Managing Board of Wienerberger AG with responsibility for the Central-West Europe segment. The value of the transaction, including restructuring and plant optimisation, totals roughly 40 million.
The family owned Mueller company with plants in Eisenberg (Rheinland Pfalz) and in Goerlitz (Saxony) is one of the major clay roof tile producers in Germany with revenues of 34 million and 420 employees.
Johann Windisch continued: "We have a strong partner at our side with F v Mueller Dachziegelwerke. The broad-based product line includes moulded and flat tiles, facade boards and accessories as well as decorative roof finals and ridges and roof tiles for the preservation of historical buildings. It therefore represents an ideal addition to our existing Wienerberger products.
"The existing structures of the Wienerberger Group will allow us to realize widespread synergies in production and sales. We will also be able to use the location of Goerlitz near the Polish border to increase exports to Poland and other neighboring countries, and substantially improve our market position in this region."
Wienerberger said it was relying on the wide ranging expertise of Mueller's former sole owners in the future. Hans Dietrich Freiherr Leuckart von Weissdorf will serve as a consultant for the integration process and make his many years of experience available to management. Dominik Freiherr Leuckart von Weissdorf will direct the company together with Klaus Hoppe of Wienerberger Germany.
ENDS