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Juniper Networks Names Adrian Carr Vice President, Enterprise Sales for EMEA

Juniper Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: JNPR), the leader in high-performance networking, today announced the appointment of Adrian Carr to the role of vice president, enterprise sales EMEA. Carr will report to Gert-Jan Schenk, senior vice president of operations EMEA, who had previously been fulfilling this role on an interim basis. Reporting to Carr will be the leaders of Juniper Networks' enterprise sales teams across the region. Carr brings a wide range of sales experience to Juniper, and has a proven track record in building sustained strategic growth in the enterprise sector in a number of markets globally. In past roles he has proved adept at achieving aggressive sales targets, and has solid experience of numerous key vertical sectors, including financial services, the public sector, petro-chemicals, and manufacturing. Prior to joining Juniper Networks, Carr served in a range of senior sales management roles with SPSS Inc., Ascential Software, and EDS.

"Adrian is joining Juniper at an exciting time for the company, with a strong second quarter and first half of the year and a burgeoning portfolio of fast, reliable, and secure networking solutions for enterprise customers Juniper is well positioned for growth," said Gert-Jan Schenk, senior vice president operations EMEA, for Juniper Networks. "We have an opportunity to capitalize on demand for high-performance network infrastructure from organizations which rely upon their networks to underpin the business and help to deliver commercial success - and I am confident that Adrian's experience and expertise will play a crucial role in building on this opportunity in the EMEA region."

About Juniper Networks Juniper Networks, Inc. is the leader in high-performance networking. Juniper offers a high-performance network infrastructure that creates a responsive and trusted environment for accelerating the deployment of services and applications over a single network. This fuels high-performance businesses. Additional information can be found at www.juniper.net.

Juniper Networks, JUNOS and the Juniper Networks logo are registered trademarks of Juniper Networks, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, or registered service marks are the property of their respective owners.

Johannes Thammer is new Head of Audi Sales Division in China

Johannes Thammer (52) will become the new Managing Director of the Audi Sales Division in China as of June 1, 2008. The current Head of After Sales and Genuine Parts for Audi succeeds Werner Eichhorn (45), who has been announced by Volkswagen as the new Head of Sales for Germanyfor Volkswagen Passenger Cars as of June 2008. Bernd Hoffmann (44) will take over the position vacated by Thammer. Johannes Thammer has worked worldwide for AUDI AG since 2005 as Head of After Sales and Genuine Parts. The graduate in engineering studied mechanical engineering, majoring in automotive technology, and began his career at Audi in 1982 in Chassis Controlling. From 1985 to 1991 Thammer worked for BMW as an executive in product marketing. He held executive positions in Marketing and Sales for AUDI AG between 1991 and 1999. In 2000, he moved to Brussels to become Toyota's Vice President for Product and Sales Planning before returning to Audi in September 2005 to assume the position of Head of After Sales. Starting in June 2008, Johannes Thammer will direct Marketing and Sales in China for the brand with the four rings, within the joint venture between AUDI AG and FAW (First Automobile Works Group Corporation). Audi is the market leader in China's premium segment. With over 100,000 cars sold during 2007, China is the biggest export market for AUDI AG. Bernd Hoffmann, currently Head of Sales Development at AUDI AG, will assume the position vacated by Johannes Thammer. Hoffmann began his career at Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg, followed by executive positions in Marketing for AUDI AG, and from 2001 to 2004 was Head of Marketing and Sales for Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.

Monolithic Linear USB Battery Charger with High Efficiency Buck-Boost & Buck Converters

Linear Technology Corporation announces the LTC3558, an efficient, multi-function power management solution for handheld applications. The LTC3558 integrates a stand-alone Li-Ion/Polymer battery charger and two high efficiency synchronous regulators - one buck-boost and one buck - and is offered in a compact low-profile 3mm x 3mm QFN package. The linear battery charger can deliver up to 950mA charge current from a wall adapter supply, or up to 500mA charge current from a USB port. The LTC3558's stand-alone autonomous operation simplifies design, eliminating the need for an external microprocessor for charge termination. Both switching regulators are designed to operate over the Li-Ion/Polymer range of 2.7V to 4.2V while delivering output currents up to 400mA each.

The LTC3558's integrated synchronous buck regulator features 100% duty cycle operation, while the buck-boost regulator is capable of regulating its programmed output voltage (typically 3.3V) over the entire Li-Ion/Polymer operating range. The integrated low RDS(ON) switches enable efficiencies as high as 92%, maximizing battery run time. In addition, Burst Mode® operation optimizes efficiency at light loads with a quiescent current of only 20uA for the buck-boost and 35uA for the buck (<1uA in shutdown for each). The high 2.25MHz switching frequency allows the utilization of tiny low cost capacitors and inductors less than 1mm in height. Furthermore, the regulators are stable with ceramic output capacitors, achieving very low output voltage ripple.

The LTC3558's battery charger contains a high degree of USB functionality, including 20%/100% full-scale charge current setting, a SUSP pin for shutdown/enable, and 4 different indication states on the /CHRG pin. The final battery float voltage is accurate to ±0.5%. The charger's patented thermal regulation scheme maximizes the charge rate without the risk of overheating, while the NTC input allows temperature-qualified charging. To preserve battery energy, the LTC3558 draws < 3uA from the battery in suspend mode. The charger is compatible with inputs up to 5.5V (7V absolute maximum transient for added robustness).

The LTC3558 is available from stock in a compact low-profile (0.75mm) 3mm x 3mm QFN-20 package. Pricing starts at $2.35 each for 1,000-piece quantities.

Photo Caption: Multi-Function Linear Charger + Sync Buck-Boost + Sync Buck

Summary of Features: LTC3558

* Complete Multi-Function PMIC: Linear Charger, Synchronous Buck-Boost & Buck Regulators

Battery Charger

* Charge Current Programmable up to 950mA from Wall Adapter Input * Charges Directly from a USB Port with 20%/100% Current Select * No External MOSFET, Sense Resistor or Blocking Diodes Needed * Thermal Regulation Maximizes Charging Rate without Overheating * Preset Battery Float Voltage with ±0.5% Accuracy * Standalone Autonomous Operation * Charge Status Output with Multiple Indication States

Switching Regulators

* High Efficiency Synchronous Regulators: One Buck-Boost and One Buck * Adjustable Output Voltage Range: Buck-Boost - 2.75V - 5.45V, Buck - Down to 0.8V * Switching Regulator Output Currents: 400mA each * 2.25MHz Constant Frequency Operation * Thermally-Enhanced, Low Profile (0.75mm) 20-Lead 3mm x 3mm QFN Package

SHS VIVEON supports the successful launch of DeutschlandCard

SHS VIVEON, a solution provider for end-to-end customer management, is supporting the new multi partner bonus program DeutschlandCard with its business intelligence expertise. SHS VIVEON AG is a key driver for the success of the concept based on a KPI system to control the company. DeutschlandCard thus has a central and uniform information base for enterprise-wide reporting and control of the customer loyalty program. DeutschlandCard is a multi partner bonus program launched early in March 2008 and is operated by the international communications services provider arvato AG. SHS VIVEON has been involved in designing the internal and partner-related KPI system to control and manage the multi partner bonus program since October 2007. The data-side foundation for this system is a data warehouse system, professionally designed by SHS VIVEON over a three months period. This system maps the business relationships between DeutschlandCard's partners. In addition, it ensures that the potential to exploit value added for sales and marketing can be reliably identified. SHS VIVEON's expert view of existing concepts has enabled DeutschlandCard to avoid weak points and potential risks. SHS VIVEON also plays a supporting role for quality management and in realizing campaign management. The company is responsible for designing the monitoring of advertising success for the partner campaigns. Results are fed directly into the operating systems and form the starting point for planning additional campaigns (closed-loop approach). The quality of the campaigns is one of the most important instruments to establish trust among partners and end customers for DeutschlandCard GmbH. Establishing a high-performance BI environment in the market's highly dynamic requirements is thus constantly optimized. "Our co-operation with SHS VIVEON has allowed us to establish a decisive professional basis to control and manage the program and the business intelligence processes within the shortest of periods," commented Dr. Clemens Schäffner, a member of DeutschlandCard GmbH's management. "Long-term experience in this area and the perception on the market as a reliable and pragmatic partner reinforce our decision to trust SHS VIVEON with a key role in realizing this project. DeutschlandCard's on- schedule, successful launch confirms that this decision was the right one to take." "We have gained a promising new customer in the high-growth customer loyalty market with DeutschlandCard and arvato AG," commented Dirk Roesing, SHS VIVEON AG's CEO. "We believe that our involvement as a partner from the very outset is a particular challenge. We are very pleased to be able to support the success of the new bonus program with our expertise and our dedication."

Three new wheels for the 2008 season: breyton design Race GT, GTS and CS

Stylishly tuned BMWs have long been the trademark of breyton design from Stockach on Lake Constance, Germany. One of the mainstays of its product range are the popular breyton wheels. For the 2008 season, breyton design is serving up no fewer than three new models. With the designs "Race CS", "Race GT" and "Race GTS", breyton design leaves drivers spoilt for choice. Timelessly elegant: Race GT

With its 15 delicate spokes, the breyton "Race GT" wheel is an exceptionally attractive interpretation of the classic motor racing multi-spoke design. It is timelessly elegant and bridges the gap between sportiness and elegance with ease. The spokes that extend all the way up to the rim flange make the wheel look exceptionally large. It is available in three finishes: shiny silver (painted), Alu (peen-finished) and black (painted). breyton design offers the wheel in the sizes 8.5x19", 9.5x19", 8.5x20" and 10x20". Without the use of wheel spacers, the "Race GT" has an offset of 35 mm, with wheel spacers an offset of 15 mm. breyton design offers the wheel from a price of 330 euros (8.5x19", shiny silver painted), e.g. for the BMW models E36, E46, E90 and, for instance, the Z4 and X3.

Sporty: Race CS

A sporty Y-spoke design - ten basic spokes, which double in number as they branch outward - is presented by the single-piece breyton "Race CS" wheel. It is available in seven (!) different finish combinations and, as such, caters to a wide range of tastes:

HC DPL (Hyper silver, diamond polish lip), HC SSL (Hyper silver, stainless steel lip),

MP SSL (Mirror paint, stainless steel lip), GB DPL (Black paint, diamond polish lip), GB SSL (Black paint, stainless steel lip), MG RCL (Matt gun metal, lip with red circle) and MG SSL (Matt gun metal, stainless steel lip). In this regard, the versions with the red stripe around the circumference stand out - a detail which is a guaranteed head-turner. The version with a stainless steel lip stands out both from a visual and technical viewpoint thanks to the corrosion-resistant material.

The various finishes are available in 8.5x19", 9.5x19", 8.5x20" and 10x20". The offsets are 30 (19") and 35 mm (20") and diminish when using wheel spacers to 10 and 15 mm. Once again, these wheels can be used on numerous current and older BMW models from the 3 series E36 to the 3 series E46, Z4 and 3 series Coupé E92 in addition to larger model lines such as the 8 series E31, 5 series E61 and 6 series E63. The breyton "Race CS" wheel is available from 315 euros. Stylish: Race GTS

Also featuring a Y-spoke design, the breyton "Race GTS" wheel cuts an impressive figure and conveys a sense of lightness of foot. The concave shaped part of the transition from the seven basic spokes into their branches constitutes an initial design highlight here. A concave shape also reveals itself when looking at the wheel design from an angle. The wheel center is located at a deeper level, the rim flange at a higher level. The stylish appearance is rounded off by the kinks used as a further design element, exhibited by each of the spoke branches. Also for the "Race GTS" wheel, breyton design offers a number of finishes: Hyper silver (HC), Mirror paint (MP) and Black paint (GB). Sizes: 8.5x19" (ET30), 9.5x19" (ET35), 8.5x20" (ET35) and 10x20" (ET30). When using wheel spacers, the offsets go down to 10 (8.5x19") and 15 mm respectively.

As with the "Race GT" and "Race CS" wheels, these can also be fitted on numerous BMW models. breyton design offers a guaranteed sporty and stylish appearance for each and every vehicle from a price of 295 euros (8.5x19", Hyper silver).

All breyton wheels are TÜV approved and are of course supplied with a TÜV parts certificate.

Further information on the high-quality BMW tuning suite from breyton design GmbH is available online at www.breyton.com.

40MHz to 3.8GHz Log RF Power Detector Features 75dB Dynamic Range

A new monolithic broadband, high performance logarithmic RF power detector from Linear Technology provides accurate RF power measurement over a wide frequency range covering the 800-900MHz and the 1.7GHz to 2.2GHz cellular bands, as well as the 2.6GHz and 3.5GHz WiMAX bands. The LT5538 RF power detector provides a DC output voltage that is log-linearly proportional to its input power level. Within its measurement dynamic range, the detector exhibits best-in-class accuracy and linearity of +/- 0.8 dB over its rated operating temperature range of -40°C to +85°C. Moreover, the LT5538 has outstanding sensitivity, capable of detecting signals as small as -75 dBm to as large as +10 dBm at 2.14 GHz. The device operates with a single-ended RF input. It requires no external RF transformer, thus simplifying design while reducing costs.

The LT5538's dynamic range performance is ideal for RF power amplifier power control and monitoring for a wide range of wireless systems, as well as receiver AGC (Automatic Gain Control), and RSSI (Receive Signal Strength Indicator) functions. These are required functions for cellular basestations of all types, including large cells, microcells, picocells, and

femtocells, wireless repeaters, WiMAX basestations, broadband wireless access points, broadband cable networks, military and commercial long-range radios, as well as test and measurement instrumentation. The LT5538's accuracy performance helps to minimize equipment calibration requirements, resulting in stable system performance and reduced operating costs.

The LT5538 utilizes Linear Technology's high speed bipolar process, enabling wide bandwidth and dynamic range performance. The fast output response of 100ns rise time and

200ns fall time to rapidly changing RF input signal levels make it suitable for rapid measurement of RF signal power in TDD (Time Division Duplexing) switching wireless operating environments, including WiMAX, TD-SCDMA, and other applications.

The LT5538 operates over a wide supply voltage range of 3V to 5.25V, drawing a low quiescent supply current of 29mA compared to other similar class detectors. A shutdown feature is provided. When the chip is disabled with a logic LOW applied to its ENABLE input pin, the chip draws a typical shutdown current of 1uA, and a maximum of 100uA. The device comes in a tiny 8-lead, 3mm x 3mm DFN surface mount package. Pricing starts at $4.50 each in 1,000-piece quantities. The LT5538 is available immediately from stock.

Photo Caption: 3.8 GHz High Dynamic Range RF Detector

Summary of Features: LT5538

Operating Frequency Range 40MHz to 3.8GHz Accurate over Temperature (-40°C to +85°C) ± 0.8dB Log-Linear Dynamic Range + @ 880MHz + @ 2.14GHz 75dB

70dB Fast Response Time o Rise Time o Fall Time 100ns

200ns Single-Ended Operation: No External Transformer Small Package 3mm x 3mm DFN

New Supervisory Board Member for Gerresheimer

Mr. Lionel Assant, Partner in Blackstone Group International Ltd., London, has resigned his Supervisory Board mandate with Gerresheimer AG. In his place, Mr. Theodor Stuth, Chartered Accountant and Tax Adviser, is appointed as a new member of the Supervisory Board of Gerresheimer AG.

HAMANN sportivo - The lively tuning programme for the Fiat 500

Normally HAMANN-Motorsport is renowned as a tuning company for BMW and for refining sinfully expensive luxury cars. But sometimes the Laupheim-based technicians move off the beaten tracks and devote themselves to something completely unexpected - in this case the Fiat 500. The HAMANN-technicians started with a lot of joy and enthusiasm for the cool little retro sports car and developed the extensive HAMANN sportivo-tuning programme. Striking 17-inch rims and a lively flag pattern optically emphasize the racy character of this little Italian. The strong sound of the HAMANN-sport exhaust system for the 1,4 litre petrol car also underlines this acoustically. A performance optimization for the diesel model, progressive chassis springs and a newly-developed braking system round out the racy appearance and provide a speedy joyride.

The design wheel HM sportivo I stands for trendy mobile appearance and perfect handling. The matt black varnish rim in one piece has a diamond-polished outer edge and is offered in the size 7.0 x 17. HAMANN recommends matching tyres in the sizes 195/40 ZR17 or 215/35 ZR 17 by its technology partner Hankook. A complete wheel-set can be obtained from 1,420 €. The HAMANN-set for lowering chassis leads to a further improvement in handling the car and ensures that the vehicle centre which is made up from four progressively spun springs is lowered by 30mm.

The sport exhaust system which was especially devised for the 1,4 litre petrol car renders a thrilling sonorous sound. The system includes a muffler (from 390 € onwards) with two round end pipes made of high-grade steel (70 mm diameter), a pre-muffler with metal catalyst and a sport fan manifold. All components can also be obtained individually. Also for this model, HAMANN developed a stable sport braking system for improved deceleration values. The set consists of two perforated and ventilated brake discs (diameter 280 x 28mm) at the front axle in connection with red 4-piston fixed yokes and steal flex brake lines. The back axle can be upgraded with brake discs measuring 240 mm in diameter.

The increased performance by HAMANN costs 699 € for the 1,3 Multijet 16V Fiat 500 diesel model. After re-programming the integrated control unit, the motor renders up to 90 hp / 66 kW at 4,000 r.p.m. (series: 75 hp / 55 KW) and a maximum torque of 230 Nm at 1,750 r.p.m. (series: 145 Nm at 1,500 r.p.m.).

The aluminium pedal set including footrest and a car mat set with an embroidered HAMANN sportive logo accentuate the interior and perfect the Fiat 500 programme in a stylish way.

For more information about the extensive HAMANN tuning programme, please visit the web site www.HAMANN-MOTORSPORT.com.

basan group: SAP migration and Europe-wide rollout in as little as four months

As a part of a complex migration process, the basan group, Europe's leading commercial enterprise for cleanroom products, has successfully transferred its existing SAP R/3 system to the current SAP ERP 6.0 technology. In addition to the completed migration, the entire SAP environment was transferred to the computer service centre of Pironet NDH as part of a joint project with the SAP consultant company, Gambit Consulting. Pironet will immediately assume responsibility for operations, based on IT service management principles conforming to ITIL. The solution specifically includes the modules financial accounting / controlling (FI-Co), materials management (MM), sales & distribution (SD) and warehouse management (WM). In the first stage, basan users in Germany, Italy, France and the Netherlands will benefit from the optimized support for their business operations.

basan's high level of customer orientation forms the basis for the company's order and delivery processes, which are supported by SAP ERP. For instance, basan operates so-called consignment stock directly on-site for certain customers in the pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries. The entire basan portfolio is available: high quality cleanroom products ranging from consumables such as wipers, gloves, paper, packaging, disposable and reusable clothing to floor coverings, decorative articles and furniture for cleanrooms, sterile rooms and controlled production areas. This ensures that all the required products are made available to customers at all times. The goods are available on-site and remain the property of basan until they are purchased by the customer.

To ensure optimum technical support for these business operations, basan's SAP system is to a large extent closely integrated with those of the customers. Likewise, the information technology of the logistics services provider Schenker is linked, and the newly-ordered goods are transported to the basan warehouses - at the customers' as well as the provider's sites. This enables a direct exchange of order data from basan's own SAP system to the IT of the forwarding agent via interfaces. This kind of large-scale integration of business processes, which includes customers and service providers, requires 100% support from the information technology used - support that will carry the basan group in its rapid expansion to Asia.

Important: Country-specific compliance requirements

For this reason, the changeover from the SAP R/3 system release 4.6C used so far to the latest SAP ERP technology (SAP ERP Central Component 6.0) was absolutely essential. Very tight schedules also played a major role when forming the project team comprising Gambit Consulting and Pironet NDH, so that any effects on the business operations could be avoided right from the beginning. basan Managing Director Frank Braun, who is in charge of the project says "Being a medium-sized company that must react quickly to developments in the market and the business, we achieve the best results with a medium-sized project team like Gambit and Pironet NDH, which distinguishes itself by its flexibility, mobility and cooperation on the same wavelength".

In view of the rollout in four countries and taking specific requirements into consideration, it was very important for us to have project partners with the relevant international experience. Markus Gaganis, project leader at Gambit Consulting, reports that "The work of introducing financial accounting in France, Italy and the Netherlands, and adapting system settings to conform to national compliance regulations calls for appropriate experience in execution of international SAP migration projects".

"Over and above the migration project, the large-scale integration of basan's business processes and IT systems with its customers and logistics services providers, the strong customer orientation and the international setup of the company with a focus on expansion makes high demands on the everyday use of information technology. Only an extremely efficient ITC outsourcing service provider can fully meet these demands", explains Felix Höger, Director of Pironet NDH. Customers in the semiconductor industry for instance, expect that basan products required for production in cleanroom conditions, such as overalls for employees, are delivered reliably and at short notice.

"For this reason, our tailor-made concepts - which fulfil all the requirements in terms of availability, performance, safety and scalability, as well as meeting individual adaptation of Service Level Agreements - are aimed particularly at medium-sized companies with international setups and strong potential for growth", says Felix Höger.

Call for action: 2008 Sappi Ideas that Matter

Sappi, the global producer of coated fine paper, is calling on European graphic designers to put their creativity to work for social and environmental good and submit concepts for print-based communication campaigns supporting charities of their choice to its 2008 Ideas that Matter programme. The programme is open to individual designers, design firms, agencies, in-house design departments at companies, design teachers and students.

The campaigns must exploit the effectiveness of ideas on paper, with applicants explaining how the success of their campaigns will be measured. Sappi will follow up the results after implementation.

Entries will be judged by an independent committee made up of international graphic designers and representatives of graphic associations, charity organisations and Sappi. Each campaign selected will receive a grant of up to €50,000 to cover its full implementation. Applicants are required to submit their creative ideas supporting their chosen cause, a description of the print campaign and its objectives, the metrics to be used to measure its impact, a cost estimate for campaign implementation, and information about the non-profit organisation involved.

Deadline for entries for this year's programme is 1 June 2008, with grants being awarded in August and implementation of the campaign due before the end of December 2008. Application forms can be downloaded at www.sappi.com/IdeasThatMatter.

Each year, the Sappi Ideas that Matter programme awards grants worth a total of US$1 million to designers around the world to enable them to promote social, environmental or humanitarian causes of their choice. The programme is part of Sappi's 'Life with Print' initiative, which provides a perspective on the efficient use of print media in communication.

"The creativity of the design community can be a powerful force for social good," says Sappi's Marketing Communications and Business Development Manager in Europe Peter Tielemans. "Whether the ideas support sustainable living, the elderly, human rights, education or other worthwhile causes, they are needed more than ever. Print offers designers one of the most versatile, measurable and involving media to get their ideas across."

For the 2007 Ideas that Matter programme, the judging committee selected 11 European campaigns relating to culture, education, the environment, health, human rights, social integration and domestic violence.

Sappi is the world's leading producer of coated fine paper. Its brands include Magno, HannoArt, Tempo, Quatro and Royal graphic papers, as well as Algro, Leine and Parade speciality labelling and packaging papers and boards. Customers in more than 100 countries worldwide specify these for the highest quality publishing, promotional and packaging applications. The papers are produced in mills accredited with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and EMAS certification and Sappi is the first paper company in Europe to hold chain-of-custody certification for its entire European operations under both the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) schemes.

Guido Oelkers joins Nycomed Executive Committee

Nycomed today announced the appointment of Guido Oelkers as the new Executive Vice President Commercial Operations. It is planned that he joins Nycomed in September 2008. Based in Zurich, Guido Oelkers will be in charge of all Commercial Operations and its Area Managers, with the exception of Russia/CIS. Guido Oelkers has been working in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry since 1984. He headed various country organisations of Hoechst AG and Aventis in China, Indonesia and New Zealand. He broadened his international exposure as Executive Vice President Healthcare of DKSH, where he was responsible for the global Healthcare business with focus on Asia and Europe. In his current role as Chief Executive Officer of INVIDA, Singapore, he transformed the organisation into one of the largest Asian-based specialty pharmaceutical companies. An economist by training, Guido Oelkers holds a Ph.D. in strategic management from the University of South Australia. He completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at various universities in Germany and the UK. "I am delighted to welcome Guido Oelkers as our new Executive Vice President for Commercial Operations," says Håkan Björklund, Chief Executive Officer of Nycomed. "He brings to Nycomed a wealth of skills and international experience. His strong pharmaceutical sales background, proven commercial results and energetic leadership style will be great assets."

�LSD gives your car wings� - LSD wing doors for the Mercedes CL

By mounting LSD wing door hinges, the actual Mercedes CL luxury coupé becomes the absolute looker. The wing doors hinges are available with immediate effect.

The LSD wing door hinges for the Mercedes CL feature the new GRS+ (Guided Roller System). It offers an adjustment possibility with the roller guidance of the roller bearing integrated in the hinges and additional stability through a catch which that locks in fully-opened condition. This results in more safety and more precise opening and closing of the door.

LSD door fittings come with a German TÜV certificate certifying that the LSD wing doors meet all safety standards.

Compared to other retrofit sets for wing doors, the LSD fittings made in Germany are more impressive due to their absolutely sound engineering and the highest-possible standard of quality. In addition, a testing laboratory accredited by the German Kraftfahrtbundesamt (Federal motoring bureau) proved in a side-crash test, that the LSD-solution patented in Germany is as secure as a door assembled in the series production. This means: the occupants safety is guarateed by the LSD door fittings in a side-crash complying with rule 96/27/EG. LSD makes a quick and easy installation possible, without any welding or repainting necessary. Another convincing feature is their perfect fit, thanks to the ability to make three-dimensional adjustments. The LSD door fittings are mounted directly at the points where the original doors were removed. With the added fittings, the otherwise unchanged original doors open first outward and then gently glide upward and stop. Adjustable buffers prevent the doors from being opened too wide or from falling downward or inward when open. A simple grip is all it takes to close the door. On the one hand, the LSD solution allows you to open the door in a outward motion with an aperture angle of approx. 30°; on the other hand, it also allows you to swing the wing door upward, and all that without any great exertion. The LSD wing doors lend any car a sensational look and are the ideal solution for all fans of unusual tuning and show cars. The LSD door fittings are available from LSD or special dealers.

All information as well as a constantly updated list of applications can be found on the Internet at www.lsd-doors.de.

Autoliv Receives "Superior Performance" Award from Toyota

At Toyota's 2008 Annual Supplier conference - the global leader in automotive safety systems - was honoured with the most prestigious award for its contributions by Toyota Motors Europe.

Autoliv was awarded with the "Superior Performance Award" for its continuous efforts in re-engineering of existing products and shifting of production to low cost countries. This distinction, the highest of its kind, which Toyota awards to its suppliers, was received by Benoit Marsaud, COO and President of Autoliv Europe, during Toyota Motor Europe's annual supplier conference in Brussels.

During the conference at the Brussels Expo site, to which Toyota Motor Europe had invited more than 600 suppliers, Mr. Marsaud said: "This award is a great achievement and we are very proud to be recognized in front of such a distinguished audience. Special thanks to all Autoliv production sites in UK, France, Poland and Turkey that supply direct or indirect to Toyota as well as the customer support team".

Autoliv has a long-standing and close partnership with Toyota world-wide as a supplier of airbags, steering wheels and seatbelts. Currently Autoliv is supplying all vehicle models manufactured by Toyota in Europe, including the Yaris, Auris, Corolla Verso and Avensis vehicles. This was the third consecutive year that Autoliv was recognized by Toyota Europe.

So far this year, Autoliv has received ten awards in total from customers for its achievements during 2007. In addition to the awards from Toyota, the company has received major awards from Suzuki, GM, Greatwall, Brilliance, Ford and VW.

Fitch Affirms WWK Leben's and WWK Allg.'s 'A+' IFS Ratings

Fitch Ratings has today affirmed German insurer WWK Lebensversicherung a. G.'s (WWK Leben) and 100% subsidiary WWK Allgemeine Versicherung AG's (WWK Allg.) Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) ratings at 'A+'. The Outlooks are Stable. The two entities maintain their Fitch Financial Strength Seal, held since August 2004, which is given to financially strong insurers.

"WWK Leben's ratings reflect management's continuing strategy to increase financial strength, the successful expansion of the distribution channel 1:1 Assekuranzservice AG, as well as the low exposure to capital market volatility due to the introduction of hedging strategies," says Christos Stavrianidis, Associate Director in Fitch's Insurance Group. "In addition, the company has a lower-than-average exposure to insurance risk, due to its high ratio of unit-linked business. Partly offsetting these rating factors is the difficult new business growth in a competitive market." says Tim Ockenga, Director in Fitch's Insurance Group.

WWK Leben operates as the parent company of the group and is managed in the legal form of a mutual insurance company. The group offers a range of products in the life and non-life insurance sectors through an exclusive distribution network of agents, independent financial advisers and multiple agents.

With total assets of EUR8.1bn (2006: EUR7.9bn) and gross written premiums (GWP) of EUR870m (2006: EUR842m) at year-end 2006, WWK Leben is by far the largest entity within the WWK group. The life insurer continues to have a capitalisation in line with its assigned rating level. Its unrealised gains were EUR111.1m (2006: EUR215.2m) or 2.1% (2006: 4.1%) of the investment portfolio at year-end 2007. The decline from 2006 has mostly been the result of interest rate developments. A further decline in unrealised gains on equity is being averted by the timely implementation of an equity hedging strategy. The company's equity increased to EUR155.8m (2006: EUR145.8m), while the funds for future appropriation, especially the terminal bonus fund, increased further to EUR334.4m (2006: EUR316.2m). The insurer reported net income of EUR10m (2006: EUR15m), which was transferred to equity.

WWK Leben experienced difficult new business growth in 2007, with the GWP growth of a "capitalisation" product overcompensating for the decrease in other lines. A strong increase in new disability products, however, was not able to compensate for the decline of term- and annuity products;

the lapse ratio has decreased by 1.0% to 6.4%.

In 2007, WWK Allg. reported total assets of EUR101.7m (2006: EUR100.2m) and GWP of EUR60.3m (2006: EUR59.3m). The gross loss ratio (before reserves) of 74.8% (2006: 67.8%). is better then the industry average (2007: ca. 78%). The impact of 2007 winter storm Kyrill, which resulted in many claims, has reduced net earnings to EUR0.6m (2006:1.3m). A strong premium growth is expected in 2008. Fitch considers WWK Allg. to be a core entity of the WWK group.

In Fitch's opinion, a strongly declining equity market over the course of 2008 might potentially impact the new business in the area of unit-linked products. Fitch expects WWK Leben to maintain its large hedging programme and to generate new business in 2008, which will show increasing profitability.

Contact: Christos Stavrianidis, London, Tel: +44 (0)20 7664 0081, Tim Ockenga, +44 (0)20 7417 4223.

Media Relations: Christian Giesen, Frankfurt, Tel: + 49 (0) 69 7680 762 32; Hannah Warrington, London, Tel: +44 (0) 207 417 6298.

Fitch's rating definitions and the terms of use of such ratings are available on the agency's public site, www.fitchratings.com. Published ratings, criteria and methodologies are available from this site, at all times. Fitch's code of conduct, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, affiliate firewall, compliance and other relevant policies and procedures are also available from the Code of Conduct section of this site.

Synopsys Adds 30 New Titles To Designware System-Level Library

Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS), a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design and manufacturing, today announced the immediate availability of 30 new titles in the DesignWare® System-Level Library. The new members of the Library include high-performance transaction-level models (TLMs) for PowerPC®, MIPS, and DesignWare IP. DesignWare System-Level Library models significantly reduce the time to create virtual platforms and are written in SystemC to work in any IEEE 1666 (SystemC)-compliant simulation environment.

Virtual platforms are fast, full-function simulation models of hardware that enable development and integration of software months before hardware is available. Transaction-level models (TLM) are the basic building blocks required to build virtual platforms for early software development, hardware/software co-design, architectural exploration and system verification. The DesignWare System-Level Library is the industry's most comprehensive portfolio of tool-independent, standards-based TLMs, a primary reason that IBM selected Synopsys for distribution of its SystemC-based PowerPC models.

"Synopsys' market position in the IP space made the DesignWare System-Level Library a natural choice to distribute our processor models," said Mike McGinnis, IBM's program director for PowerPC licensing. "Open standards are crucial to enable growth of a broader system-level ecosystem, and our mutual customers will benefit from the tool-independence of our SystemC models."

The DesignWare System-Level Library now features more than 80 TLMs. New high-performance models of the PowerPC 405, 440, and 460 and MIPS 4Kc complement the Library's existing models of ARM® processors. In addition, TLMs for Synopsys' DesignWare PCI Express 2.0 and Gigabit Ethernet Media Access Controller (GMAC) join other DesignWare IP, such as USB 2.0 HS OTG, SATA AHCI and AMBA® interconnect components, in the Library. Several peripheral components include Virtual I/O capability, which allows communication over the host Ethernet or USB connection of the computer executing the virtual platform. Also included are pre-assembled models of complete PowerPC and MIPS 4Kc platforms which can be used as reference designs for driver development or as a starting point for building larger virtual platforms.

Synopsys will showcase the DesignWare System-Level Library and its Innovator virtual platform development tools as a Gold Sponsor at the upcoming Power Architecture Conference ( www.power.org/events/powercon/) being held in Munich and Paris during May 2008. The solutions will also be exhibited at the Design Automation Conference in Anaheim in June.

"IBM's choice of the DesignWare System-Level Library as a distribution vehicle for their PowerPC models builds additional value into the Library and we look forward to including models from more partners in the future," said John Koeter, senior director of marketing for IP and Services at Synopsys. "With the upcoming ratification of the SystemC TLM-2.0 standard and our DesignWare System-Level Library's compliance with TLM-2.0, we can help to ensure model interoperability for the creation of virtual platforms to accelerate software development. It makes adopting Synopsys' broad array of popular IP titles a safe investment for our customers."

Availability The new titles, including the instruction-accurate MIPS 4Kc and cycle-accurate PowerPC 405, 440, and 460 transaction-level models, are available now. The instruction-accurate PowerPC transaction-level models will be available in June. For more information, visit www.designware.com/sll.

About DesignWare IP Synopsys offers a broad portfolio of high-quality, silicon-proven digital, mixed-signal and verification IP for system-on-chip designs. As a leading provider of connectivity IP, Synopsys delivers the industry's most complete solutions for widely used protocols such as USB, PCI Express, SATA, Ethernet and DDR. In addition to connectivity IP, Synopsys offers SystemC transaction level models to build virtual platforms for rapid, pre-silicon development of software. When combined with a robust IP development methodology, extensive investment in quality and comprehensive technical support, DesignWare IP enables designers to accelerate time-to-market and reduce integration risk. For more information on DesignWare IP, visit www.synopsys.com/designware.

About Synopsys Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS) is a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA) software for semiconductor design. The company delivers technology-leading system and semiconductor design and verification platforms, IC manufacturing and yield optimization solutions, semiconductor intellectual property and design services to the global electronics market. These solutions enable the development and production of complex integrated circuits and electronic systems. Through its comprehensive solutions, Synopsys addresses the key challenges designers and manufacturers face today, including power management, accelerated time to yield and system-to-silicon verification. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has more than 60 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan and Asia. Visit Synopsys online at www.synopsys.com.

BBI B�rgerliches Brauhaus Immobilien AG enters fiscal year 2008 with 16% EBIT growth

During the first quarter of fiscal year 2008, BBI Bürgerliches Brauhaus Immobilien AG (BBI AG), a company focusing on the portfolio management of retail properties, recorded revenues (IFRS) up 3% compared to Q1 2007. Revenues, comprising rental and lease income and income from the beverages segment, totaled around € 4.80 million. In Q1 2007, this figure was just € 4.65 million. Around € 1.97 million of this total was due to rental and lease income, which was thus up by 14.7% year-on-year. In the beverages segment, sales in the first quarter were relatively stable, despite the trend in this industry. The Herrnbräu brand, which the company produces itself, enjoyed a slight increase of 0.1%. This means that sales totaled a volume of 24,468 hl. Exports of Herrnbräu beers were also positive, growing 19.3% year-on-year. In contrast, non-alcoholic soft drinks (Bernadett Brunnen) recorded a 3.2% downturn in the quantities sold to 19,628 hl. In total, sales were down slightly by 1.5% in the beverages segment. The first quarter of the fiscal year is traditionally weak, with revenues totaling € 2.99 million (previous year: € 3.08 million). In order to stabilize sales and to secure a continued high capacity uptake for the existing production capacities, BBI AG acquired the brand rights for a traditional Ingolstadt-based brewery in the spring of 2008. EBITDA increased from € 1.70 million in the previous year to a current total of € 1.85 million. In addition, the company's EBIT also increased significantly. After € 1.26 million in the previous year, BBI AG recorded EBIT totaling € 1.47 million in the first three months of the current fiscal year. This rise was primarily due to the increase in the company's real estate portfolio. After deduction of the financial result of € -0.87 million, this resulted in pre-tax profits (EBT) of € 0.60 million (previous year: € 0.59 million). Changes in the real estate portfolio BBI AG again increased its real estate portfolio compared to December 31, 2007. A self- service store in Pfaffenhofen/Ilm was transferred in April 2008. This property has a sales area of around 6,700 m² and has already been fully allocated to a tenant with an excellent credit rating. The 20-year contractual term means that the company will generate long-term, secure rental income in future from taking over this property. The scheduled budget of € 14.0 million was adhered to during the construction of this property as a result of a cooperation with a professional property developer. A residential and commercial property in Donauwörth was renovated as a result of a change of tenant. The new rental agreement has an initial term of five years and secures a further increase in rental income for BBI AG compared to the previous situation. In addition, the hotel and restaurant property in Lenting is also currently being renovated. At present, BBI AG's real estate portfolio comprises 14 legacy properties as well as 17 specialist and self-service stores. The properties are located throughout Germany. Tenants for the specialist and self-services stores are creditworthy, well-established retail chains and individual retailers with branches. The rental agreements mostly have terms of more than 15 years. In order to continue its on-track growth, BBI AG has already secured a further 16 properties under development by way of notarized agreements or letters of intent. Two of these properties from the so-called Bavaria-Westfalia portfolio are scheduled to be transferred during the second quarter. The current usable space of the legacy portfolio, which is almost fully let, is now around 125,000 m². After the successive completion of the properties being developed, BBI AG will take over another roughly 70,000 m², which will generate additional annualized rental income of around € 8.5 million once these properties are transferred. Market developments In the first three months of fiscal year 2008, developments on the German real estate market continued to be marked by the impact of the sub-prime crisis in the USA. The fact that tradability of US mortgage securities was limited made it more difficult for banks to issue credit. This resulted in a downturn in the number of transactions compared to the previous year as financing conditions consequently deteriorated, in particular for investors relying heavily on borrowing. In contrast, the fundamentals for the German real estate market continue to be excellent. Supported by the robust economy and the ongoing downturn in unemployment, industry experts believe that it was possible to ascertain a downturn in vacancy rates and a slight increase in rents. As a result, market players are already speaking of the rental and investment markets diverging. If the positive developments on the German rental market continue, with a persistent comparatively high rate of inflation, a constant increase in the achievable rents can be expected. This applies in particular for indexed rental agreements - BBI AG primarily concludes this type of agreement. As a result, the current market environment offers opportunities to increase both the value of and rental income from BBI's portfolio. The continued favorable overall economic environment is also having a positive impact on the beverages market in Germany. This applies, in particular, to high-growth regions in the south of Germany. In addition, there is increased population growth in the Ingolstadt region, the core market for Herrnbräu products. At the same time, the particularly strict ban on smoking in the State of Bavaria and the population's changed consumption patterns are dampening the beverages market. In total, the relevant market is expected to decline in 2008, with continued intense competition. Profit-and-loss transfer agreement with VIB Vermögen AG VIB Vermögen AG acquired a majority interest in BBI AG last year, increasing its voting rights to 69.9%. This percentage increased at the start of 2008 to a current total of 82.01%, in particular as the result of a mandatory offer by VIB Vermögen AG. On April 4, 2008 the two companies then each passed a fundamental decision on the intended conclusion of a profit-and-loss transfer agreement between VIB Vermögen AG as the controlling company and BBI Bürgerliches Brauhaus Immobilien AG as the controlled company. After a careful review by the companies and the court-appointed auditor, the Managing Boards of BBI Bürgerliches Brauhaus Immobilien AG and VIB Vermögen AG signed a profit- and-loss transfer agreement on May 6, 2008. The profit-and-loss transfer agreement stipulates that VIB Vermögen AG will offer the minority shareholders of BBI AG ("external shareholders") reasonable compensation in shares, taking statutory requirements into account. The offer is based on a valuation of BBI AG and VIB Vermögen AG. The exchange ratio identified based on the company valuations performed is 8.02 shares of BBI to 11.62 shares of VIB. External shareholders of BBI AG availing of the compensation offer will receive 1.45 shares of VIB Vermögen AG for each BBI share. Any fractions resulting from the exchange ratio not being in whole numbers will be compensated by a cash payment from VIB Vermögen AG. The profit-and-loss transfer agreement stipulates that shareholders who wish to retain their interests in BBI AG, i.e., who do not wish to accept the compensation offer made by VIB Vermögen AG, will receive annual fixed compensation of € 0.64 (gross) per share of BBI AG. The agreement still has to be approved by both companies' General Meetings. BBI AG's General Meeting will be held on June 18, 2008. Outlook As a result of the successive acquisition of the properties already contractually secured or secured via a letter of intent between 2008 and 2010, BBI AG will constantly expand its real estate division. Rental income will already increase significantly in 2008, and profitability will be further enhanced as a result of the low cost level. The market in the beverages segment is expected to remain difficult in fiscal year 2008. The company will improve its stability as a result of increased sales activities - in Germany and abroad - and by further optimizing its cost structure.

Fitch: Earthquake in China not an Immediate Capital Issue for Insurers

Fitch Ratings commented today that, based on preliminary estimates, the earthquake in China is not expected to have a material impact on the balance sheets of the Hong Kong-listed Chinese insurance companies. That said, the agency believes that the losses arising from the tragic event, coupled with the poor performance of the A-share market in the first few months of 2008, will put pressure on the insurers' earnings for the year. Fitch also believes that the tragic event is a timely reminder of the perils facing the Chinese market and the importance of establishing effective risk transfer mechanisms through reinsurance and other alternative methods.

The massive earthquake that hit China's Sichuan Province on Monday 12 May 2008 was the country's worst natural disaster in over 30 years. According to official figures as of the time of writing, the total death toll has risen to close to 15,000. The magnitude-7.9 earthquake has also left almost 65,000 injured. As the largest rescue effort in the Chinese army's history continues, the ultimate death toll and injury count are set to rise further.

While it is still premature to gauge the impact of insured losses on individual insurance companies, risk modeling firms AIR Worldwide and Risk Management Solutions have estimated the economic losses from the tragedy to be in the range of USD10-20 billion. The insured losses, according to AIR Worldwide, are estimated to be between USD300 million and USD1bn, as compared to the USD41bn in insured losses arising from the hurricanes in the U.S. in 2005.

As reflected in the low insured loss estimates relative to expected economic losses, the epicenter of the earthquake is located in a predominantly rural area, where insurance coverage is minimal as compared to the coastal cities. More importantly, earthquakes are generally not covered under residential property and motor policies. The bulk of the non-life claims are, therefore, expected to arise from larger-scale commercial properties farther away from the earthquake's epicenter. The Sichuanese provincial capital, Chengdu, is located some 55 miles from the hardest hit area and has markedly higher concentration of insured commercial and industrial risks.

In addition to commercial property and business interruption claims, payouts on life insurance policies are also expected to be sizable. The Sichuan province is home to 84m residents. In Wenchuan county alone, China Life Insurance Co Ltd (China Life), the country's largest life insurer, has over 110,000 life insurance policies. China Life has received 150 claims so far, amounting to USD19m. Fitch expects that it will take weeks, if not months, before reliable figures on ultimate life and accident benefit payments can be gathered.

If market shares in the affected areas are used as guidance, the insured losses from the earthquake will likely be spread among the largest companies in the market, namely: The People's Insurance Co (Group) of China, China Life, Ping An Insurance (Group) Co of China Ltd and China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co Ltd. A large portion of the losses facing the direct insurance market will likely be passed on to China Reinsurance (Group) Co, the country's national reinsurer, depending on the structures of the direct companies' reinsurance programmes.

In Fitch's rating universe, the agency expects China International Reinsurance Co Ltd (China International Re, Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) 'A-' (A minus)) to have manageable exposure to the event, although the company has yet to release figures publicly. Through the use of excess-of-loss reinsurance, the company reported a net loss of HKD35m (USD4.5m), or 1.6% of end-2007 capital from the snowstorms earlier this year. The agency also does not expect any significant impact on China International Re's sister company, Tai Ping Life Insurance Co Ltd (IFS 'BBB+'), which has somewhat lower exposure to the region as compared to its larger peers.

Fitch's current assessment on the earthquake's impact is based on the most recent estimates released by official sources and catastrophe modeling firms. The agency will continue to evaluate the earthquake's impact as loss estimates are updated and insured losses disclosed.

MorphoSys Announces Re-election of Supervisory Board Members

MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) announced today that at the Company's annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, its shareholders confirmed the reappointment of Dr. Gerald Möller, Dr. Daniel Camus, Dr. Metin Colpan and Dr. Geoffrey N. Vernon to the Supervisory Board. Dr. Möller was reappointed as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. In addition to the confirmation of the appointments to the Supervisory Board, all other management proposals put to vote were passed at the meeting, which took place in Munich. As part of the shareholder assembly agenda, the shareholders approved a three-for-one split of the Company's common stock. "We are pleased to announce the re-election of all of our long-term members of the Supervisory board and look forward to continue working with them," commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG. "Their commitment and enormous contributions to MorphoSys's successful development over the last several years have been extremely valuable for the Company." About MorphoSys: MorphoSys is a publicly traded biotechnology company focused on the generation of fully human antibodies as a means to discover and develop innovative antibody-based drugs against life-threatening diseases. MorphoSys's goal is to establish HuCAL as the technology of choice for antibody generation in research, diagnostics and therapeutic applications. The Company currently has therapeutic and research alliances with the majority of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies including Boehringer Ingelheim, Centocor/Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer and Roche. Within these partnerships, more than 50 therapeutic antibody programs are ongoing in which MorphoSys participates through exclusive license and milestones payments as well as royalties on any end products. Additionally, MorphoSys is active in the antibody research market through its AbD Serotec business unit. The business unit has operations in Germany (Munich), the U.S. (Raleigh, NC) and U.K. (Oxford). For further information please visit www.morphosys.com/

Manz Automation AG starts fiscal year 2008 with dynamic growth

The Manz Group, a leading technology provider in terms of its market shares for systems and components for automation, quality assurance, laser process technology for the photovoltaic industry and automation and wet chemicals for the LCD industry, successfully continued its dynamic on-track growth in the first quarter of 2008. The Manz Group increased its revenues from € 12.71 million in Q1 2007 by more than 200% to € 38.61 million. Total operating revenue was up substantially by around 155% to € 37.08 million (Q1 2007: € 14.51 million). EBIT also soared in the first quarter - up 214% to € 5.58 million (Q1 2007: € 1.78 million), thus enjoying disproportionate growth compared to revenues. In terms of revenues, this constitutes an EBIT margin of 14.5% (Q1 2007: 14.0%). This means that the EBIT margin has again been increased - not least as a result of lower material consumption and economies of scale. The Manz Group's EBT also tripled - up € 3.81 million to € 5.58 million (previous year: € 1.77 million). As a result of the acquisition of a majority interest in Intech Machines Co., Ltd on April 1, 2008 and the associated pre-financing, the equity ratio was at around 38% at the end of the quarter. The cash flow from operating activities in the first quarter totaled € -1.75 million (Q1 2007: € 44 thousand). This is due in particular to the substantial growth and the resulting required increase in working capital. "We have achieved key milestones in the first few months of 2008, including three successful acquisitions that will further reinforce our growth with additional capacity and new technology. We want to significantly reinforce our global market position by moving integration forward and expanding our product range," explained Dieter Manz, Manz Automation AG's CEO. "The strong revenue growth was primarily driven by the systems.solar division, which enjoyed substantial order-book growth." In total, Manz Automation recorded revenues totaling € 26.55 million in its systems.solar division or 68.8% (systems.lcd: € 2.45 million, systems.aico: € 3.32 million, other: € 6.28 million). As of April 30, 2008 the Manz Group had an order book for the entire 2008 fiscal year totaling € 169.95 million. Of this total, € 103.16 million is due to the systems.solar division, which is split roughly 50:50 between the business fields crystalline silicon solar cells and thin- film solar modules. The acquisition of the majority interest in Intech Machines Co., Ltd. caused the order book in the systems.lcd division to increase to € 45.41 million. As a result of the sustained growth, the Managing Board has reconfirmed its forecast of recording revenues of € 210 - 215 million in the current fiscal year, with a sustained increase in EBIT.

Deutsche Telekom and the Greek government agree on investment in telecommunications group OTE

Deutsche Telekom has brought its negotiations with the Greek government concerning an investment in the Greek telecommunications company OTE to a successful conclusion.

The Chairman of Deutsche Telekom's Board of Management René Obermann said, "We look forward to working together as partners, with OTE and its em¬ployees benefiting as much as Deutsche Telekom. With its highly motivated employees, OTE has built up a strong position in its Greek home market, as well as in Southern and Southeastern Europe in recent years and will therefore be an important partner in the Deutsche Telekom Group."

As a result of the talks, a shareholders' agreement has been signed between the Greek government and Deutsche Telekom, pursuant to which Deutsche Telekom will assume management control of OTE and fully consolidate the company. The Greek Inter-Ministerial Privatization Committee and the Supervi¬sory Board of Deutsche Telekom AG have given the agreement their approval. The agreement is subject to the necessary regulatory approvals and the agreement of the Greek parliament.

Stake of 25 percent plus 1 vote

Deutsche Telekom's investment in OTE is structured as follows.

Deutsche Telekom has consummated the agreement concluded with the Marfin Investment Group (MIG) in mid-March 2008 on the acquisition of just under 20 percent of OTE and acquired the shares for EUR 26 per share with a total purchase price of around EUR 2.55 billion.

Under the terms of the agreement with the Greek government, Deutsche Telekom will increase this stake to 25 percent plus one vote. To this end, 3 percent of the shares in OTE will be purchased from the Greek government for EUR 29 per share, which equates to a total amount of approximately EUR 0.43 billion. Deutsche Telekom will round its stake off by buying an addi¬tional 2 percent of OTE on the market. Based on OTE's current share price, this brings the total purchase price for the stake of 25 percent plus one vote to around EUR 3.2 billion.

Together, the two parties to the shareholders' agreement will hold a majority of 50 percent plus two votes in OTE after completion of all stages of the transaction.

Put-options and pre-emptive rights for additional shares

In addition to the current changes in ownership of OTE, the two partners have also agreed put-options and pre-emptive rights for additional OTE shares in several stages and over varying periods.

From the time of the acquisition of the aforementioned 3-percent stake in OTE by Deutsche Telekom, the Greek government has a put option for a further 5 percent of the shares in OTE. This option is valid for 12 months and can be exercised in October 2008 at the earliest. A price of EUR 27.50 per share has been agreed for this option equating to a total amount of around EUR 0.67 billion.

The Greek government also holds a second put option for a further 10-percent stake in OTE until 2011. In this case, the price per OTE share shall be based on the weighted market price of the share at the time the option is exercised plus a premium of 20 percent initially that will later fall to 15 percent.

In addition, the Greek government has granted Deutsche Telekom a general pre-emptive right over its shares in OTE.

Balance sheet ratios remain sound

Assuming OTE is fully consolidated in the second half of 2008 and that Deutsche Telekom holds a stake of 25 percent by the end of 2008, the transaction will already have a positive impact on the Group's results (before the one-time purchase price allocation) and free cash flow in this financial year. The ratio of net debt to adjusted EBITDA of the Group in its new constellation will increase to around 2.2 in 2008 and fall again the following year. The ratio for 2008 reflects the fact that OTE's net debt will be included in the balance sheet on a full-year's basis, whereas EBITDA will only be included for the second half of 2008, making the ratio higher than if OTE had been consolidated for a full year. Overall, however, even based on this calculation, the ratio of net debt to adjusted EBITDA will remain at the lower end of Deutsche Telekom's target range of 2 to 3.

Considerable growth potential

OTE generated revenue of EUR 6.3 billion in the 2007 financial year, an increase of 7.3 percent over the previous year. Adjusted EBITDA increased 3.4 percent to EUR 2.2 billion. Net profit amounted to EUR 0.66 billion, up 15.3 percent on the prior year. The group is the market leader in fixed and mobile communications in Greece. In addition, OTE has well-positioned subsidiaries in Romania (fixed and mobile), Bulgaria (mobile), Macedonia (mobile) and Albania (mobile) and has a 20 percent stake in the market leader for fixed network and mobile communications in Serbia.

At the end of 2007 and together with its fully consolidated companies, OTE operated over 9 million fixed network lines and served 1.2 million broadband customers and 15.5 mobile customers. Overall, OTE has access to a total population of around 56 million in the countries where it operates and has considerable growth potential both in the fixed network and in mobile communications. This is a result of expected annual growth rates of more than 4 percent in the gross national products in OTE's core geographic markets. In addition, there is still considerable potential for growth in mobile communications in various countries in light of increasing subscriber numbers and the relatively low level of mobile data business. The penetration rates of broadband lines in the Greek and Romanian fixed networks are still very low; in Greece for example only around 7 percent.

Presence in Southeastern Europe strengthened

OTE therefore fits almost perfectly into the Deutsche Telekom Group, both in terms of its growth potential and its regional presence. The investment in OTE considerably expands and strengthens Deutsche Telekom's already very strong presence in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Once the transaction has been completed, the Group will be represented in all Southeastern European countries with the exception of Slovenia and Kosovo.

Deutsche Telekom's current national companies in Eastern and Southeastern Europe have developed very well overall in recent years and become more and more important within the Group. The national companies in Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Macedonia and Montenegro accounted for around EUR 2.4 billion revenue from Broadband/Fixed Network business and approximately EUR 1.1 billion EBITDA. In mobile communications, the national companies in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Macedonia and Montenegro serve a total of 29.5 million customers. These companies generated revenue of EUR 5.6 billion and adjusted EBITDA of EUR 2.2 billion in 2007, in some cases recording double-digit growth.

OTE will also benefit from being a member of the Deutsche Telekom Group. On the one hand, it will have access to Deutsche Telekom's technical expertise. On the other hand, the worldwide alliance of Deutsche Telekom's mobile communications companies has, for example, already generated synergies of more than EUR 1.2 billion per year in the past , consisting of procurement advantages for technical equipment, economies of scale in purchasing cell phones, and marketing.

As a result of this agreement, new synergies are expected to be generated with a net present value of approximately €2 billion.

DEVIL AG reviews alternatives to IPO

DEVIL AG, a market-leading IT distributor in Germany, is reviewing alternative financing options instead of its planned IPO after the end of the subscription period for up to 2,500,000 new bearer shares. Despite the current difficult IPO market interested investors subscribed for approx. half of the offered shares. However, in the opinion of DEVIL AG's management and shareholders, the resulting proceeds from the issue would not have been sufficient to execute the company's M&A strategy to the planned extent. As a result, the parties have agreed together with the issuing bank to initially review additional financing options and to postpone a potential IPO to a later date.

Juniper Networks Routers will be Deployed in G�ANT2 Research and Education Network

DANTE, an international research and education network provider, and Juniper Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: JNPR), the leader in high-performance networking, today announced that DANTE is upgrading the core GÉANT2 infrastructure. This will create a next-generation network that will enable fast, reliable and secure communications between universities and research facilities via the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs).

The upgrade will center on Juniper Networks T1600 core routers, the newest addition to Juniper Networks T-series family, and will enable DANTE to deliver a range of new, high-capacity services based on the latest IPv6 and 40 Gbps (gigabits per second) technologies. The network is being deployed by Imtech Telecom Global, a Juniper Networks Elite partner.

DANTE is responsible for the pan-European GÉANT2 network that interconnects National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) across the continent. With over 30 million users in 34 countries, GÉANT2 offers unrivalled geographical coverage, high bandwidth, innovative hybrid networking technology and a range of user-focused services, making it one of the most advanced international networks in the world. Together with the NRENs it connects, GÉANT2 has links totaling more than 50,000 km in length and its extensive geographical reach interconnects networks in other world regions to enable global research collaboration.

Dai Davies, general manager of DANTE, commented, "There are suppliers and then there are suppliers who deliver what they promise. Juniper is firmly in the latter category. The new T1600 offers us new functions and performance and it will change the way we build and operate the GÉANT2 network, allowing us to provide the fundamental infrastructure and services to Europe's research and education community."

Currently deployed in the GÉANT2 network are the Juniper Networks T640 and M120 routers, which run the same, consistent JUNOS software that powers the T1600. The inherent security and stability of JUNOS software, combined with its modular architecture and single-source code, provides a proven foundation for delivering leading performance, reliability, security and scale with attractive total cost of ownership.

"The T1600 will provide DANTE with a non-disruptive and cost-effective upgrade to scale the T640 to support the stringent requirements of the international research and education environment," said Gert-Jan Schenk, senior vice-president of operations, EMEA, Juniper Networks. "DANTE's decision to upgrade to T1600s with JUNOS software underscores the value of Juniper's unique, seamless upgrade strategy that protects customers' investments as they scale their networks to support the demands of high-performance services and applications." About DANTE

DANTE is a non-profit organization, co-funded by the European Commission and working in partnership with European National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) to plan, build and operate advanced networks for research and education. Established in 1993, DANTE has been fundamental to the success of pan-European research and education networking. DANTE has built and operates GÉANT2, which provides the data communications infrastructure essential to the success of many research projects in Europe. DANTE is involved in worldwide initiatives to interconnect countries in the other regions to one another and to GÉANT2. DANTE currently manages projects focused on the Mediterranean, Latin American and Asia-Pacific regions through the EUMEDCONNECT, ALICE and TEIN2 projects, respectively. For more information, visit www.dante.net. About Juniper Networks, Inc.

Juniper Networks, Inc. is the leader in high-performance networking. Juniper offers a high-performance network infrastructure that creates a responsive and trusted environment for accelerating the deployment of services and applications over a single network. This fuels high-performance businesses. Additional information can be found at www.juniper.net.

SMT Scharf receives first order for new rack-and-pinion railway

SMT Scharf AG (German Securities Code (WKN) 575198, ISIN DE0005751986), the technology and global market leader for rail-bound railway systems for the mining sector, has received its first order for its newly developed rack-and-pinion railway from Russia. This railway is tailor-made to transport great loads under particularly difficult mining conditions, and is characterized by its versatility: It can be used as both a rail-bound rack-and-pinion railway and also as a climbing aid for normal mine railways. In addition, it can be easily converted into a monorail hanging railway. SMT Scharf presented this innovative train to the specialist public for the first time in November 2007 at the mining technology and equipment trade fair CHINA COAL & MINING EXPO 2007. In the meantime it has received all necessary licenses. The customer will use the train in a hard coal mine in Russia, where it will be used, in particular, to transport heavy roof support units at inclines of up to 30 degrees. This customer already uses SMT Scharf's monorail hanging railways in three of its mines. This order, with a volume of slightly more than € 1 million, is a key step in growing SMT Scharf AG's business: "We are very pleased that our newly developed rack-and-pinion railway has convinced our customers so quickly. That's a positive sign - also for possible additional orders," commented Dr. Friedrich Trautwein, SMT Scharf AG's CEO. "Russia was already our key growth market last year. We believe that this country offers further potential, and we plan to penetrate this potential even better with new products and our newly formed branch office."

2A, 1MHz Synchronous Boost Regulator Offers Output Disconnect & Soft-Start in a 2mm x 3mm DFN

Linear Technology Corporation announces the LTC3539/-2, 1MHz/2MHz, current mode, synchronous boost DC/DC converters with output disconnect and integrated soft-start. Their internal 2A switches can deliver output voltages as high as 5.25V from an input voltage range of 0.70V at start-up, (0.5V when running) to 5V, making them ideal for Li-Ion/Polymer or single/multicell alkaline/NiMH applications. The LTC3539/-2 can deliver up to 900mA of continuous output current (at 3.3V) from dual alkaline cells or 900mA of continuous output current (at 5V) from a single-cell Li-Ion battery. Synchronous rectification enables efficiencies up to 94%, while Burst Mode® operation lowers quiescent current to only 10uA, providing extended battery run-time in handheld applications. The combination of a 2mm x 3mm DFN-8 package and a constant switching frequency of 1MHz (2MHz for the LTC3539-2) minimize both inductor and capacitor sizes, providing a tiny solution footprint required in handheld applications.

The LTC3539/-2 have internal switches with an RDS(ON) of only 0.09 Ohm (N-Channel) and 0.125 Ohm (P-Channel) to deliver efficiencies as high as 94%. The output disconnect feature allows the output to be completely discharged in shutdown. It also limits the inrush of current during start-up, minimizing surge currents seen by the input supply. The LTC3539/-2 will also regulate the output voltage when the input voltage exceeds the output voltage, making the device compatible with any battery chemistry. For applications demanding the lowest possible noise operation, the LTC3539/-2 can be set via an external pin to operate in a continuous frequency mode. This version runs in continuous mode at all current levels to minimize possible interference of switching noise with noise-sensitive circuitry slightly reducing light load efficiency. Additional features include anti-ringing control, short-circuit protection, soft-start, and thermal protection. The LTC3539/-2 delivers an ideal solution for boost applications requiring up to 900mA of output current and where a small solution size and low maximum battery run-time are defining factors.

LTC3539EDCB and LTC3539EDCB-2 are both available from stock in 8-lead 2mm x 3mm DFN packages. 1,000-piece pricing starts at $2.50 each.

Photo Caption: Compact, Efficient 2A Synchronous Booster in 2mm x 3mm DFN

Summary of Features: LTC3539/-2

* Delivers 3.3V at 900mA from Dual Alkaline/NiMH Cells * Delivers 5V at 900mA from a Lithium-Polymer Battery * VIN Start-Up Voltage: 700mV * 1.5V to 5.25V VOUT Range * Up to 94% Efficiency * VIN > VOUT Operation * 1MHz (LTC3539) or 2MHz (LTC3539-2) Fixed Frequency Operation * Output Disconnect * Selectable Burst Mode® or PWM Operation * 10uA Quiescent Current * Logic Controlled Shutdown: <1uA * Requires Only 6 External Components * Low Profile 8 Lead (2mm × 3mm × 0.75mm) DFN Package

Telephonetics Plc positive about the future at Annual General Meeting

Telephonetics PLC, the UK-based automated telephony speech solutions group held their Annual General Meeting on the 24th April 2008.

At the AGM all resolutions were agreed by shareholders. In addition, Michael Neville, Chairman of Telephonetics, was confident about the positive future outlook for the group. He stated "Telephonetics has made a successful start to this year, with trading in line with expectations and good inroads made in our business development. This has come through new product lines and gaining further traction in our core markets."

He continued "Encouragingly, we are seeing a healthy pipeline of new business, with the continued successful roll out of our hospital results service and Remind+, our automated notification solution. This year new contract wins have included a dual-sited resilient ContactPortal® solution at Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the purchase of our SEMAP+ platform by Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital Trust, with their first application being Result. With the increased number of clients and success in cross-selling, service and maintenance revenues have increased by approximately 17% year on year. Over the course of the year, we will continue to look at breaking into new markets and growing our customer base on all sides of the business.

Internally we are continuing to invest and develop for the future, with the management-training programme running at full speed and the first phase of our new CRM deployment now live."

Michael concluded "We remain confident in the outlook for the sector and are now gaining international recognition for our technology and services."