Niederweningen, 22 January 2007

Emhart Glass, a division of Bucher Industries, is taking over ICS/Inex inspection systems, Clearwater, Florida, a US-based manufacturer of glass container inspection equipment. Emhart Glass and ICS/Inex complement each other's product lines and market presence enhancing its worldwide glass container inspection business. The purchase price for the cash and debt free business will not exceed USD 14 million.

ICS/Inex supplies equipment for on-line and off-line glass container inspection and is well established in the industry. Its growth is a result of new products and a large installed base. In 2006, the company is expected to generate sales of around USD 19 million and an EBIT margin of almost 7% with 88 employees. After the integration of ICS/Inex and the inspection business of Emhart Glass, joint manufacturing will be concentrated at the Emhart Glass factory in Elmira, NY, while joint engineering will be based in Clearwater, FL.

ICS/Inex will be fully integrated into Emhart Glass' inspection business and the combined product lines of inspection equipment will be marketed under the brand Emhart Inex. Based on complementary product portfolio and markets, Emhart Inex will bring a new dimension in the inspection system marketplace with an expanded product line for existing markets and a larger sales and support network to serve areas of emerging growth. Newly expanded technical centers in Europe, Asia and the United States will give Emhart Inex a solid foundation for enhanced customer support and provide a strong platform to showcase the company's extensive catalog of existing and newly-released inspection equipment.

Closing of the acquisition is still subject to approval by the Portuguese competition authority and other legal conditions of the transaction and is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2007.

Bucher Industries is a global technology group with leading market positions in specialty areas of mechanical and vehicle engineering. The company's operations include specialized agricultural machinery, municipal vehicles, wine and fruit juice production plant, hydraulic components, and production equipment for the glass container industry. Bucher Industries' shares are traded on SWX Swiss Exchange (SWX: BUCN).


Contact
Philip Mosimann, CEO
Roger Baillod, CFO
Phone +41 44 857 22 07