BT wins record agreement in U.S.

BT wins record agreement in U.S. BT Raymond Inc., U.S. arm of Swedish warehouse truck manufacturer BT Industries AB, and The Home Depot has signed a purchasing agreement of an anticipated 4 500 warehouse trucks. The value exceeds $70 million (MSEK 550) to which is added approximately $10 million for spare parts. The agreement is BT´s largest ever. Under the two year purchasing agreement, effective 1999 and 2000, The Home Depot will source at least 90% of its warehouse trucks needs from BT Raymond Inc. Deliveries will begin in January 1999 from BT Raymond's plants in North America. The agreement comprises mainly reach trucks, order pickers and walkies as well as stand-up counterbalance trucks made by Raymond. The majority of trucks are expected to be financed through Raymond's leasing and serviced through Raymond's Dealer Network. The Home Depot is North Americas largest home improvement retailer, operating 641 warehouse-style home centers in the U.S. and 40 stores in Canada. The company employs 135.000 people with 1997 sales of $24,2 billion. BT Raymond's level of customer service and quality of products was decisive for the agreement. In addition, The Home Depot plans for international expansion why BT´s global presence was considered important. - We believe this is the largest agreement ever signed in the warehouse truck industry, says BT Industries President and CEO Carl-Erik Ridderstråle. - It is an expression of trust in BT Industries new corporate structure and shows that our efforts to create a strong global presence is paying off. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ For further information, please call President & CEO Carl-Erik Ridderstråle at tel. +46-70-522 07 56, CFO Per Zaunders at tel. +46-70-522 10 07 or PR Manager Göran Skoglund at tel +46-142-23 0 43 or +46-70-555 92 88.