Nextrom announces restructuring of the Group and change of a major shareholder

Nextrom has been the world’s premier supplier of equipment and services to the fiber optic industry. Since 2003, Nextrom has been also offering manufacturing services through its Shanghai unit to equipment manufacturers in various industries. The market situation in Nextrom’s core business has been extremely depressed for the past 3 years. The turnover of the core business has decreased more than 95% from the levels it used to be a few years ago.

The near term future for the Fiber Optic Machinery sector does not foresee any major changes in the actual market situation. The negative cash flow of the company calls for an immediate action from the management. Therefore, the loss making units are sold to Knill Beteiligungs GmbH.

After the transaction, Nextrom Holding has the fast developing subcontracting business in Shanghai, as well as the minority shareholdings in two engineering companies, Etteplan Production Lines Oy and Etteplan Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. The sales and cash flow of the combined entity has showed very encouraging figures over the last one and half years.

At the same time, the company announces also a change of the major shareholder. As a consequence of the before mentioned transaction, Knill Beteiligungs GmbH has decided to withdraw from the ownership of Nextrom and has entered into an agreement of the sale of all the shares of Nextrom held by Knill Beteiligungs GmbH to CommCept AG, Switzerland. At the end of the transactions, Nextrom Holding SA is debt free and a streamlined entity.

CommCept AG intends to keep Nextrom Holding SA as a listed company on the SWX. A number of potential industrial developments are screened. Further details will be published after the extraordinary shareholders meeting at the end of September 2005.

For further information please contact:

Mr. Lorenzo Schmid, Chairman of the Board
Phone +41 41 368 98 38
lorenzo.schmid@mindsetholding.ch

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