Acerinox, Spain’s largest producer of stainless steel, recently awarded Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau (VAI) an order for the replacement of the existing No. 2 EAF at their plant in Palmones los Barrios, Spain. The objective of this project is to increase furnace performance to strengthen Acerinox’s leading international position in this field.

VAI Fuchs, together with Spanish subsidiary VAI Cosim and VAI INGDESI, will execute the order.

Other stainless steel plant supply projects recently confirmed for VAI Fuchs include plants for ZPSS, TISCO, LISCO (all in China) and at Arcelor (Belgium).

Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau (VAI), a company of the listed VA Technologie AG, is one of the world’s leading engineering and plant-building companies for the iron, steel and aluminum industries with a multinational company structure and special focus on technology, automation and services. VAI achieved total sales of 976 million EUR in 2003 and employs approximately 3,400 people worldwide.

VAI Fuchs, one of the leading international technological companies in the field of electric steelmaking, is a supplier for electric arc furnaces, secondary metallurgy equipments and all auxiliary equipment. The VAI Fuchs Group has over 300 employees worldwide. VAI Cosim in Spain employs 120 specialists.

After the December, 10 2004, take-over bid for VA Tech by Siemens AG, the general acceptance period terminated on February 9, 2005. More than 90 % of VA Tech shares have been tendered to Siemens at a price of EUR 65 per share. Accordingly, this Siemens’ condition for a takeover has been fulfilled. Until the final approval by the anti-trust authorities in the EU, USA and Canada a prohibition on the concentration process applies to both Siemens and VA Tech.