UNIWHEELS : continues growth path and concludes 2016 again with record volumes

Total yearly capacity exceeds 10 million wheels now

Bad Dürkheim, 24th January, 2017: UNIWHEELS AG, German-based aluminium wheels manufacturer remains on a growth path and achieved again a record year in terms of sales volumes. According to preliminary figures, the group sales performance in 2016 rose by 12.2% compared to the previous year, to over 8.77 million wheels. Record levels have been achieved in 4Q 2016, with October the best overall month in the firm´s history (924.3 thousand wheels sold) and November the best month ever in company's Automotive segment (709.1 thousand wheels sold). Overall, the group achieved two-digit sales increases in 2016 in both business segments: Automotive: +12.2%, Accessory: + 11.75%

"We are optimistic about 2017. Demand from car producers remains healthy and growing. The new plant in Stalowa Wola, which is fully on schedule, should achieve significant economies of scale, the management forecasts no further ramp up costs for 2017. Therefore, substantial earnings increases are expected, assuming constant aluminium prices" - says Dr. Thomas Buchholz, UNIWHEELS AG CEO.

"One of the reasons for our optimism is the fact that the second and final expansion phase of our new plant in Stalowa Wola, Poland has gone online now. We have advanced this step by one year - from early 2018 to early 2017. This allows us to reach the full additional capacity of 2 million wheels annually this year which leads to a total yearly group capacity of over 10.3 million wheels from year 2017 on." - adds Dr. Wolfgang Hiller, UNIWHEELS AG COO.

"Consequently, we confirm our FY 2016 and 2017 guidances. 2017 will also be characterized by the decision-making process with regards to an international location for a 5th plant and the planning for a further expansion of the Stalowa Wola site to create an extra capacity of 1 million wheels from first half of 2019 on." - concludes Dr. Karsten Obenaus, UNIWHEELS AG CFO.

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