SAF-HOLLAND S.A. Proceeds with Reorganisation
• Relocation of the former Holland site from East-Westphalia
to Bavaria completed
• Strategic consolidation making progress
Bessenbach, Germany, July 23, 2008 - SAF-HOLLAND S.A., a leading supplier
to the international trailer and truck industry, ceased the production of
kingpins and fifth wheels in its former Holland plant in Schloss Holte,
Westphalia, Germany, as planned. Transferring these activities to an
existing plant for axle systems in Wörth am Main, Germany, SAF-HOLLAND has
taken one of the anticipated steps towards streamlining its production
sites. The consolidation will result in an increase in productivity as well
as a reduction in infrastructure and administrative costs.
A portion of the approximately 20 employees in Schloss Holte have decided
to move to Wörth in northern Bavaria, where additional jobs will be
created. SAF-HOLLAND intends to launch its production of kingpins in Wörth
in the coming weeks. The products will be sold primarily in the spare parts
business, where the Company has access to a network of approximately 8,000
service partners worldwide. An additional plant closing will follow by
September of this year in Holland, Michigan, USA, where company management
plans to further improve plant efficiencies by reducing the number of
remaining nine North American plants to seven or eight plants over the
medium term through the improved use of existing space.
'The site relocation clearly shows how the merger of the German SAF and the
American Holland is strengthening our productivity and growth on a
sustainable basis. This involves both the improvement of profitability
through site consolidation and the expansion of our product range in Europe
and the USA,' stated Rudi Ludwig, CEO of SAF-HOLLAND S.A. The combination
of the two long-standing companies SAF and Holland in December 2006 has
produced a global supplier with a broad product range that supplies
well-known manufacturers of trailers, trucks, and buses.
Company Profile
With more than € 800 million in sales and approximately 3,000 employees,
SAF-HOLLAND S.A. is one of the worldwide leading manufacturers and
suppliers of premium product systems and components primarily for trailers
as well as trucks, buses, and recreational vehicles. The product range
encompasses axle and suspension systems, fifth wheels, couplers, kingpins,
and landing legs. SAF-HOLLAND customers include the majority of large
trailer and truck producers all over the world. The products are sold to
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Original Equipment Suppliers
(OESs) through a global service and distribution network as well as through
aftermarket channels that target end users and service garages. SAF-HOLLAND
has therefore established itself as one of the few manufacturers in its
sector that is internationally positioned with an extensive product range
and a broad service network. SAF-HOLLAND S.A. has been listed in the Prime
Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since July 2007.
Contact
Barbara Zanzinger
Investor und Public Relations
Tel:+49 (0) 6095 301617
Fax:+49 (0) 6095 301
barbara.zanzinger@safholland.de
www.safholland.com
23.07.2008 Financial News transmitted by DGAP