DGAP-News: Balda AG: Balda AG at the heart of the mobile phone boom
26.04.2006
Balda AG / Key word(s): Quarter Results
26.04.2006 07:54
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Balda AG at the heart of the mobile phone boom
With its production sites in Asia, the group is ahead of the competition
According to market researchers and producers, the global mobile phone
market will have a two-digit growth also in 2006. After 816 million mobile
phones in 2005, experts anticipate sales of 900 million to 920 mil-lion
phones in the ongoing year. The first quarter shined with an increase in
sales of 26 percent. Balda AG, Bad Oeynhausen, has good prospects to
benefit from this positive trend. The specialist in high-performance
plastics develops, manufactures and re-fines all components and systems for
cellular phones of polymers. The product portfolio reaches from di-verse
covers to keypads. The company situated in Eastern Westphalia gained in the
first quarter of 2006 an increase in sales figures of 14,7 percent. Until
the end of 2006 the Balda Group would like to grow or-ganically about 15
percent to a level of 450 million to 460 million.
Excellent strategic positioning in Asia
‘The prerequisites for actually reaching these goals are excellent’,
explains Joachim Gut, Balda’s CEO. The manager’s optimism becomes very
plausible once you take a look at Balda’s position in the global growth
markets. The group is set up in a strategically superb way. With two
production sites in China near Shanghai and Beijing, and another plant in
Malaysia, the German group has a strong foothold. Balda is currently more
than doubling its tooling capacities in China. In mid-2006, a new site with
an investment volume of up to 10 million US-dollars will be opened at
Chennai in south-ern India. More than one out of two Balda employees is
currently situated in Asia.
Expanding international competitiveness
According to the professionals, China and India will bet the fastest
growing mobile phone markets until 2010. The rate of growth within this
five-year period is seen at 300 to 400 percent. Additionally, China will
continue to expand its export volume for mobile phones. The target for 2006
is said to be 400 million units. With its local production within the reach
of the leading mobile phone manufacturers, Balda has strongly enhanced its
global competitiveness.
Top marks in technology
Besides the production sites in Asia’s growing econo-mies, technology is
another essential strength of the Balda group. It occupies a leading
position within the mobile phone supplier industry. Balda is the only
com-pany to offer all current surface technologies from one source,
including painting, galvanizing and PVD. In customer audits, the Balda
companies keep getting excellent marks. ‘When it comes to innovations for
the product and the processes or to new technologies, you can find Balda at
the very top’, Joachim Gut says. The CEO, however, also plans to grow the
company out-side of its Infocom core business. ‘We will diversify and
produce new products to increase our added value in current markets as well
as to enter new markets. We are planning to do this also by buying into
strategi-cally well-positioned companies. Our target of reve-nues is one
billion euro in the year 2010’, Joachim Gut explains. When asked about the
further development of the Balda share, Joachim Gut explains: ‘When it
comes to share targets of various analysts, the poten-tial of Balda’s
shares is revealed.’ Anyway, Balda will try hard to exploit the strategic
potential especially of its position in the fast growing Asian markets.
Balda AG
Cersten Hellmich
(Investor Relations)
Bergkirchener Straße 228
32549 Bad Oeynhausen
Phone: (05734) 922-2706
Fax: (05734) 922-2691
E-Mail: chellmich@balda.de
Internet: www.balda.de
26.04.2006 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP –
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Language: English
Company: Balda AG
Bergkirchener Str. 228
32549 Bad Oeynhausen
Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 57 34 / 9 22-0
Fax: +49 (0) 57 34 / 9 22-2604
E-mail: info@Balda.de
Internet: www.balda.de
ISIN: DE0005215107
WKN: 521510
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr
in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, München, Stuttgart
End of Announcement DGAP News-Service
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