KONECRANES INC. SUBSIDIARY ACQUIRES MAJORITY STAKE OF U.S. BASED MMH HOLDINGS,

Report this content
KCI KONECRANES PLC   STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE   19 May 2006 9.00 a.m.      1

KONECRANES INC. SUBSIDIARY ACQUIRES MAJORITY STAKE OF U.S. BASED MMH HOLDINGS,
INC.

HMM Acquisition Corp., a wholly owned Konecranes Inc. subsidiary, has acquired
59.2% of the shares of MMH Holdings, Inc., the owner of U.S. based Morris
Materials Handling, Inc. The total consideration amounts to apprx. USD 38.5 M.

With over 120 years of history in North America, Morris Material Handling, Inc.,
is a recognised player in the maintenance service and overhead crane industry.
Morris Material Handling, Inc. has its headquarters in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
Annual sales for the company in fiscal year 2005 were approximately USD 170 M.
First half of fiscal year 2006 sales were USD 102 M, with an operating profit of
USD 5.5 M (5.4% of sales). The company has approximately 980 employees.  This
information is based on Morris Materials Handling financial update published on
May 10, 2006.

Due to the nature of the transaction it has not been possible to conduct a due
diligence investigation of the target company. However, based on Konecranes
Inc.'s knowledge of the crane and crane maintenance industries the company has no
reason to believe that Morris Materials Handling, Inc.'s general business and
financial risk profile would materially deviate from what is typical in the U.S.
in this field.

Konecranes Inc. intends to explore possibilities to acquire additional shares in
MMH Holdings, Inc. The impact of the acquisition on the financial position and
operations of KCI Konecranes will be published when the outcome of such
exploration allows for any assessments.

The Blackstone Group L.P. advised Konecranes Inc. on this transaction.

KCI Konecranes is a world leading crane technology and service-company.
Maintenance services are provided for cranes of every make. The product range
includes light crane systems, heavy-duty cranes for process industries and
shipyards, special harbour cranes for bulk materials and containers as well as
reach stackers and lift trucks. In 2005, Group sales totalled EUR 971 million.
The Group has over 6,000 employees in 38 countries. KCI Konecranes is listed on
the Helsinki Stock Exchange (symbol: KCI1V).

KCI KONECRANES PLC


Franciska Janzon
IR Manager




FURTHER INFORMATION
Mr. Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO, tel. +358-20 427 2000
Mr. Teuvo Rintamäki, CFO, tel. + 358-20 427 2040




DISTRIBUTION
Helsinki Stock Exchange
Media

Subscribe