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euro adhoc: BWT Aktiengesellschaft
Quarterly or Semiannual Financial Statements
BWT generates significant earnings growth in first half-year "CHRIST" industrial segment posts earnings

  Disclosure announcement transmitted by euro adhoc.
  The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement.
04.08.2005
BWT - the Best Water Technology Group - can report a satisfactory
increase in earnings in the first half of the 2005 financial year.
The Aqua Systems Technologies segment (AST) made a particular
contribution to this. After three years, the positive order situation
has brought the BWT industrial segment back into positive territory.
Following the comprehensive reorientation of this segment, it has now
been turned around, thereby creating the basis for it to be spun off
as intended and, at the same time, floated in Vienna under the name
"CWT - CHRIST WATER TECHNOLOGY".
Sales: EUR 245.9 million, +1.3% y.o.y. Consolidated BWT Group sales
rose in the first half of 2005 as against the previous year from EUR
242.7 million to EUR 245.9 million (+1.3%). The Aqua Ecolife
Technologies segment grew by 0.8% to EUR 159.4 million, the Aqua
Systems Technologies industrial segment by 3.5% to EUR 86.1 million
and the Fuel Cell Membrane Technologies segment generated sales of
EUR 0.4 million (PY: EUR1.4 million). In the second quarter, sales
totaled EUR 132.6 million (PY: EUR 129.4 million), thereby rising by
2.5% as against 2004.
Segment                                  1 - 6 / 2005   1 - 6 / 2004
+ / - % Aqua Ecolife Technologies (AET)                 159.4
158.1      +0.8% Aqua Systems Technologies (AST)
86.1           83.2      +3.5% Fuel Cell Membrane Technologies (FCMT)
0.4            1.4     -71.4% Total
245.9          242.7      +1.3%
Order book level: EUR 157.8 million, + 14.8% y.o.y. Order intake: EUR
280.1 million, +1.7% y.o.y. Further positive business development in
2005 is particularly secure in the industrial segment: as at June 30,
2005, the order book for the BWT Group amounted to EUR 157.8 million
and has therefore risen by almost 15% as against the same date of the
previous year. Incoming orders increased by 1.7% to EUR 280.1
million.
EBIT EUR 17.7 million, +8.8% y.o.y. Consolidated earnings EUR 12.2
million, +39.4% y.o.y. EBIT rose by 8.8% - driven largely by the
turnaround in the AST segment - and accounted for 7.2% of sales (PY:
6.7%). In the first half-year, the AET segment achieved an EBIT
margin of 10.9% and the AST segment one of 0.7%. In the second
quarter, margins of 11.5 and 2.6% were achieved in the AET and AST
segments respectively. Earnings before taxes were EUR 17.0 million,
12% higher than in the first half-year of 2004 (EUR 15.2 million).
Consolidated earnings after minorities increased by 39.4% to EUR 12.2
million, earnings per share were EUR 0.68 (PY: EUR 0.49).
Cash flow from the result EUR 17.1 million (previous year: EUR 15.6
million) Gearing: 59.5% (previous year: 60.9%) The rise in
consolidated earnings increased the cash flow from the result from
EUR 15.6 million by 10% to EUR 17.1 million in the first six months,
the cash flow from operations declined from EUR 9.1 million to minus
EUR 1.0 million. Net debt rose from EUR 78.9 million to EUR 86.0
million. However, thanks to the increased Group equity (EUR 144.7
million as against EUR 129.5 million in June of the previous year),
gearing declined from 60.9% to 59.5%.
Investments in tangible and intangible assets rose by EUR 1.1 million
to EUR 4.6 million year-on-year.
The number of employees in the BWT Group rose by 141 people
year-on-year from 2,696 to 2,837 as at June 30. The rise in staff
numbers in the AET segment relates largely to the expansion of
servicing activities, while the focus in the AST segment was on the
further internationalization of operations (Asia, South Africa and
USA).
Outlook The results for the first half of 2005 confirm the planning
of the Management Board for 2005. The BWT Group in its current form
is anticipating slight growth in sales to more than EUR 500 million
(PY: EUR 488 million) for 2005 as a whole, as well as strong earnings
growth, achieving consolidated earnings of more than EUR 20 million
after EUR 16.8 million in 2004.
Spin-off of the AST segment preserving the share capital structure -
IPO as "CWT"
On June 27, 2005, the BWT Management Board and the Management Board
of CHRIST signed the spin-off agreement, firing the starting shot for
hiving off Christ Water Technology AG with its industrial and
municipal business of Aqua Systems Technologies (AST). Subject to the
approval of the spin-off by the Annual General Meetings of BWT AG and
Christ Water Technology AG, the objective of this is that Christ
Water Technology AG manages the segment as an independent company in
the future under the globally renowned "CHRIST" brand and notes it on
the Vienna Stock Exchange alongside BWT. If this spin-off is
successfully implemented, BWT AG shareholders will receive a free CWT
share for each share held in BWT in order that BWT AG shareholders
will maintain all the shares of Christ Water Technology AG after
implementation of the spin-off.
The hiving off of CHRIST will mark a milestone in the company history
of BWT/CHRIST, and create the foundations for profitable and dynamic
growth on the different "Industry" and "Household Technology"
markets. By each focusing on their respective market segment and
selectively leveraging their resources as well as the capital market,
both CHRIST (Industry) and BWT (Household Technology) will play a
leading role on the water market, which is defined by consolidation.
According to current planning, all legal steps required for the
transaction and the IPO of CWT will most probably be completed by
early November 2005.
The members of the Management Board of BWT and of CWT would be
delighted if you, the shareholders, would continue to support our two
companies and profit from our expansion, the excellent market
position and the growth prospects offered by the global water and
water treatment market.
BWT´s Letter to Shareholders on the 1st half of 2005 can be
downloaded from www.bwt-group.com
Company profile:
BWT Best Water Technology today is the leading European water
technology group, comprising 70 companies over 2,800 employees. BWT
devotes its efforts to the entire water cycle, "from source back to
earth". With its business segments Aqua Ecolife Technologies and Aqua
Systems Technologies, the Group offers customised, sustainable
products and solutions in the areas of drinking water, swimming pool
water, process water, ultra-pure water, and waste water for
individual homes, hotels, industry, and municipalities. With its
third business segment Fuel Cell Membrane Technologies, BWT is well
positioned as a premier supplier of innovative membranes for fuel
cells.
All technologies for water treatment are part of the BWT product
range, including filter, softener, water purifier, disinfection
technologies such as UV and ozone, along with ion-selective
membranes, electrical desalination plants, ion exchangers, membrane
technologies (reverse osmosis, nano-filtration, micro-filtration,
ultra-filtration), and the innovative AQA total technology - the
first technology worldwide allowing drinking water treatment without
the use of salt.
More information on BWT Best Water Technology can be downloaded from
www.bwt-group.com
end of announcement                               euro adhoc 05.08.2005 08:00:00

Further inquiry note:

BWT AG
A-5310 Mondsee, Austria, Walter-Simmer-Straße 4
Simone Spitzbart, Investor Relations
Tel. +43 6232 5011-1113, Fax. +43 6232 5011-1196,
E-mail: investor.relations@bwt.at

Branche: Water Supply
ISIN: AT0000737705
WKN: 0737705
Index: ATX Prime
Börsen: Wiener Börse AG / official market

Original content of: BWT AG, transmitted by news aktuell

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