Pfaff-silberblau Moves Its Headquarters to Kissing

The town of Kissing offers good conditions and a building site with room to expand Modern workplace, easy-to-reach location, and attractive surroundings for the staff in “Silberpark” Move-in date: December 2007 Friedberg, Germany, April 4, 2007 - December 2007 will bring a significant change: The Pfaff-silberblau Group, which currently still has its headquarters in Derching near the Southern German city of Friedberg, will be moving its company headquarters to the nearby town of Kissing. Over the next few months, the commercial park (soon to be called “Silberpark”) that is located right within town limits when traveling south on route B2 from Friedberg or Augsburg will become the site of a modern administration building, a process-oriented production hall, and a corresponding warehouse – all built on a plot of 28,000 m2. The company had negotiated with other towns, but Pfaff-silberblau’s management ultimately decided in favor of Kissing due to the cost effectiveness and the even better options for expansion that the location offers. Bernd Wagner, CFO of Pfaff-silberblau: “Together with the real estate investor, the town of Kissing made us a tailored offer that meets all our requirements for new company headquarters. The easy-to-reach location, the solid infrastructure, and above all a flexible construction lot that we can quickly expand if necessary, combined with att¬ractive economic conditions, convinced us fully.” Construction for Pfaff-silberblau’s future headquarters in Kissing is scheduled to begin in April 2007. The two halls will be completed by October 2007, and the four-story administration building will be ready for move-in by the end of November 2007. During the planning phase, real estate investor Hans Popfinger accommodated all the company’s needs. He is also ensuring implementation of all the latest standards during construction, particularly with regard to low energy consumption, which is important for reducing operating costs. The 220 staff members currently employed by Pfaff-silberblau in Derching can definitely look forward to modern and attractive offices with an ample 3,000 square meters of floor space. Furthermore, the new process-oriented production hall and the efficiently designed warehouse with its own crane equipment will ensure higher levels of productivity at Pfaff-silberblau. For now, the halls will cover 6,400 m2 of floor space, but this can be expanded to up to 12,000 m2 at any time. “These expansion options were a decisive factor for us,” said Bernd Wagner. “For a growth-oriented company like Pfaff-silberblau, it is crucial to be able to react flexibly and quickly to expand the production or warehouse facilities in order to remain competitive internationally.” “Leaving Friedberg does not come easy to us,” emphasized Bernd Wagner. “Both the mayor’s office and the city planning & building office were always very cooperative, and the surroundings in Friedberg’s new business park were also very interesting for us. Ultimately, however, the economic advantages and the more flexible expansion options at the Kissing location convinced us.” The mayor of the town of Kissing, Manfred Wolf, is very pleased that the this company with a long-standing tradition in the field of hoisting machinery, materials handling equipment, and actuator technology is relocating to his town: “We are very proud that we will become home to the headquarters of a company as important as Pfaff-silberblau. Kissing is not only a popular place to live (thanks in part to its nearby recreation area); it is also increasingly attracting businesses thanks to its convenient location for road and rail connections.”

About Pfaff-silberblau Founded 140 years ago, Pfaff-silberblau, with headquarters in Derching/ Friedberg, Germany, employs 325 people, and has a group turnover of approximately € 61 million (business year 2006). Pfaff-silberblau one of the leaders in technology for lifting gear and drive technology. The company is a competent partner for all solutions involving the moving (turning, lifting, lowering, pushing, shifting) of loads up to 1,000 t in all directions. Pfaff-silberblau has their own manufacturing plants in Derching/Friedberg and Heilbronn, and have their own national companies in Switzerland, Austria, England, Benelux, Poland and Hungary. In addition to these, more than 40 affiliated agencies and representatives are active for Pfaff-silberblau and their customers worldwide.