Annual Report - voestalpine

The Group
Milestones of the
financial year 2007/08 1
04/2007
April 2007
Tender offer for BÖHLER-UDDE-
HOLM. As previously disclosed in a
surprise announcement at the end of
March, after acquiring a 20.95% block
of shares from a private investor group,
voestalpine AG makes a public tender
offer to all remaining shareholders of
BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM AG.
May 2007
Environment 1 – Technological
leadership. After receiving an official
permit to use plastic waste in Blast
Furnace A, voestalpine Stahl GmbH will
use up to 220,000 tons of pelletized
plastic per year at its Linz location in
place of heavy heating oil and coke,
thereby further reducing dust, CO2 and
SO2 emissions. This will be the first
time that this process has been used at
the large industrial scale in the steel
industry worldwide.
June 2007
Successful tender offer for
BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM. voestalpine
AG completes the biggest-ever
acquisition of an Austrian company.
The tender offer made in April gives it
a majority interest in BÖHLER-
UDDEHOLM AG.
16 Annual Report 2007/08
06/2007 09/2007
Environment 2 – EMAS Award.
voestalpine Schienen GmbH receives
the Austrian EMAS Environmental
Award (for the second time since
2005). The “Eco-Management and
Audit Scheme” evaluates a company’s
environmental management and
auditing. Several Group companies
have already received the EMAS Award
in recent years.
July 2007
Record dividend. voestalpine AG’s
General Meeting approves the
resolution for a total dividend payment
of EUR 234.8 million. Shareholders
will therefore receive a dividend of
EUR 1.45 per share for financial year
2006/07, almost twice the amount
of the previous year (EUR 0.78).
Occupational health and safety
award. Two companies in the
voestalpine Group receive the Austrian
“Staatspreis für Arbeitssicherheit”
(“National Occupational Safety Award”)
2007. These are voestalpine Stahl
GmbH, Linz, and—for the third
time—VAE Eisenbahnsysteme GmbH,
Zeltweg.
August 2007
Financial year starts with a record
quarter. The voestalpine Group starts
the new financial year with a 46%
increase in result over the 1st quarter of
the previous year (not yet including
the BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM acquisition).
This makes the first three months
of 2007/08 the best quarter ever
recorded in the history of the company.
September 2007
Strengthening market presence in
South East Europe. The Steel Division
continues to strengthen its presence
in the growth region of South East
Europe. After the opening of a new
Steel Service Center in Poland in the
previous financial year, it is now setting
up another SSC in Romania. Production
at this location, the fourth Group
site in Romania, is scheduled to begin
in the first half of 2009.
New division – new member of the
Management Board. Also in September,
the voestalpine AG Supervisory
Board appoints Dkfm. Dr. Claus J.
Raidl as member of the Management
Board of voestalpine AG, in addition
to his position as Chairman of the