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DGAP-News: NORMA Group SE / Key word(s): Acquisition/Mergers & Acquisitions NORMA Group holds 100% of shares in Chien Jin Plastic, Malaysia

10.02.2014 / 09:10

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NORMA Group holds 100% of shares in Chien Jin Plastic, Malaysia

Maintal, Germany/Ipoh, Malaysia, 10 February 2014 - NORMA Group, an international market and technology leader for engineered joining technology, has acquired the remaining 15% of the shares in Chien Jin Plastic Sdn. Bhd. ('Chien Jin Plastic') effective 07 February 2014. Chin Jin Plastic is headquartered in Ipoh, Malaysia, and manufactures thermoplastic joining systems. This transaction brings NORMA Group's share in the company to 100%. The parties agreed to maintain confidentiality on the transaction details.

In November 2012, NORMA Group acquired 85% of the shares in Chien Jin Plastic. By doing so, the company significantly strengthened its business activities in South East Asia and extended its infrastructure product range. Chien Jin Plastic manufactures joining solutions for plastic and cast iron pipe systems used in diverse applications with a focus on drinking and domestic water supply as well as irrigation systems. The company also produces components for sanitary appliances.

Chien Jin Plastic generated record sales in 2013. Compared to 2012, sales grew organically by more than 10% to about EUR 8 million. Chien Jin Plastic has adjusted its offering to cater to its clients' demands even more strongly. Its joining products have been introduced to the European and Australian markets via NORMA Group's distribution channels. Chien Jin Plastic has also launched new product developments, for instance the 'metric range' and 'rural range' fittings in Australia and New Zealand. As at 31 December 2013, the number of employees had grown to 175 compared to 144 at the end of 2012.

'The integration of Chien Jin Plastic into NORMA Group has been successful and we are already reaping the rewards. We are very proud of the business success,' says Werner Deggim, CEO of NORMA Group. 'Since we will continue to develop innovative products for water management, we expect Chien Jin Plastic to continue its profitable growth in financial year 2014.'

Chien Jin Plastic has been in the market for over 20 years and has distributed its products inter alia under the Fish brand to over 250 distributors in about 30 countries globally. NORMA Group has been present in South East Asia since 2004, operating sites in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and on the Philippines.

Additional information on the company is available on http://www.normagroup.com. To download press pictures, please visit http://www.normagroup.com/press pictures.

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PRESS RELEASE: NORMA Group holds 100% of shares in Chien Jin Plastic, Malaysia

PRESS RELEASE: Prime Office AG: Individual shareholders initiated special proceedings

DGAP-News: Prime Office AG / Key word(s): Legal Matter Prime Office AG: Individual shareholders initiated special proceedings

10.02.2014 / 08:55

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Prime Office AG: Individual shareholders initiated special proceedings

Cologne, 10 February 2014. By an application letter dated 28 January, 2014 which was served on Prime Office AG on 7 February, 2014, five shareholders initiated special valuation proceedings under the German Act on Special Valuation Proceedings ('SpruchG'). Following the merger of the previous Prime Office REIT-AG, Munich, into OCM German Real Estate Holding AG (now operating under the registered name of Prime Office AG), Cologne, the claimants applied for a judicial determination of the appropriate additional cash payment pursuant to 15 paragraph 1 of the German Reorganization Act ('UmwG') in connection with 1 No. 4 SpruchG in connection with 2 et seq. SpruchG. These shareholders claim with various arguments that the exchange ratio was inappropriate and, therefore, they are entitled to an additional cash payment plus interest. In the event that such valuation proceedings determine that the Company must improve the ex-change ratio by making an additional cash payment, this court decision, once it has become non-appealable, takes legal effect for and against all shareholders of the former Prime Office REIT-AG pursuant to 13 of the German Act on Special Valuation Proceedings.

The merger of the former Prime Office REIT-AG into Prime Office AG (the previous OCM German Real Estate Holding AG), which has become effective upon the entry of the merger in the commercial register of Prime Office AG, and the current capital increase of Prime Office AG remain unaffected of these special valuation proceedings.

In the light of this development, Prime Office AG has filed another supplement ('supplement No. 2') with the German financial supervisory authority ('BaFin'), which updates and adds to the company's prospectus dated 20 January 2014 as amended by the supplement No. 1 dated 28 January 2014.

The supplement No. 2 to the prospectus will be available on the internet on http://www.prime-office.de after approval by the BaFin.

Contact

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PRESS RELEASE: Prime Office AG: Individual shareholders initiated special proceedings

PRESS RELEASE: Mensch und Maschine Software SE discloses preliminary 2013 figures

DGAP-News: Mensch und Maschine Software SE / Key word(s): Preliminary Results Mensch und Maschine Software SE discloses preliminary 2013 figures

10.02.2014 / 09:30

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Strong closing quarter made 2013 finally successful - EBITDA 2013 purely operating nearly EUR 3 Million above PY

Wessling, February 10, 2014 - Mensch und Maschine Software SE (MUM - ISIN DE0006580806), a CAD/CAM specialist company, finished the fiscal year 2013 with a strong closing quarter, according to preliminary figures. On a purely operating basis, operating profit EBITDA for the full year 2013 was improved by nearly EUR 3 mln compared to the previous year.

Group sales 2013 amounted to approx. EUR 125.8 mln (PY: 118.80 / +5.9%), with Software contributing approx. EUR 35.1 mln (PY: 33.62 / +4.4%) and the VAR Business contributing approx. EUR 90.7 mln (PY: 85.18 / +6.4%). Software sales suffered from the strong Euro, particularly against the Japanese YEN. The Software segment grew more than 8% in local currencies.

Gross margin increased slightly disproportionately to sales by approx. 7% to approx. EUR 67.4 mln (PY: 62.97), with contributions of approx. EUR 32.5 mln (PY: 30.63 / +6.1% or +10% in local currencies) from Software and approx. EUR 34.9 mln (PY: 32.34 / +7.9%) from the VAR Business.

Other operating income decreased to approx. EUR 7.6 mln (PY: 13.11), as the contribution from the sale of the Distribution business, closed in 2011, was down to EUR 4.0 mln (PY: 9.0), according to plan.

Total added value, defined as gross margin plus other operating income, amounted to approx. EUR 75.0 mln, which was slightly under the previous year's EUR 76.08 mln, due to the EUR 5 mln less contribution from the Distribution sale.

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PRESS RELEASE: Mensch und Maschine Software SE discloses preliminary 2013 figures

PRESS RELEASE: TAG Immobilien AG announces EUR 110m increase in its 2013/2018 corporate bond

DGAP-News: TAG Immobilien AG / Key word(s): Bond TAG Immobilien AG announces EUR 110m increase in its 2013/2018 corporate bond

10.02.2014 / 08:00

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Press release

Not for distribution in the United States, Australia, Canada or Japan.

TAG Immobilien AG announces EUR 110m increase in its 2013/2018 corporate bond

Hamburg, 10 February 2014 - The Management Board of TAG Immobilien AG ('TAG' or 'the Company' in the following) announces that it has increased the WKN A1TNFU/ ISINXS0954227210 corporate bond issued in August 2013 by another EUR 110 million through a private placement. The original volume of the bond, which matures in August 2018 and pays a coupon of 5.125% per year, was EUR 200 million. The bond is traded in the Open Market, the Entry Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, with participation in the Prime Standard for corporate bonds. The bond increase was issued at 103% of par value, which is about the current price of the bond.

The proceeds from the bond increase will primarily be used to further optimise the Company's capital and financing structure, and in particular to pay down higher interest-bearing bank loans without incurring prepayment penalties. The Board expects interest savings of a little over EUR 1 million per year, starting as early as Q2 2014.

Furthermore, the Company intends to use the net proceeds to finance TAG's continued growth and for other general business purposes.

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PRESS RELEASE: TAG Immobilien AG announces EUR 110m increase in its 2013/2018 corporate bond

PRESS RELEASE: Epigenomics AG: Epigenomics Further Strengthens Intellectual Property Coverage for Epi proColon in the U.S. and in China

DGAP-News: Epigenomics AG / Key word(s): Patent Epigenomics AG: Epigenomics Further Strengthens Intellectual Property Coverage for Epi proColon in the U.S. and in China

10.02.2014 / 11:30

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Patents cover detection of colorectal cancer with Septin9 biomarker

Berlin (Germany) and Germantown, MD (U.S.A.), February 10, 2014 - Epigenomics AG (Frankfurt Prime Standard: ECX; OTCQX: EPGNY), the German-American cancer molecular diagnostics company, today announced that the Company was granted key Intellectual Property (IP) rights related to its blood-based colorectal cancer screening test Epi proColon(R) in the U.S. and in China.

On January 7, 2014, the Company received a patent for the method used in Epi proColon(R) to analyse Septin9 DNA methylation by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

In addition, on January 30, 2014, Epigenomics received a 'Notice of Allowance' stating that the Chinese Patent and Trademark Office intends to grant a patent for Epigenomics' Septin9 DNA methylation biomarker (mSEPT9) for use in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer. The Company was granted the corresponding biomarker patents for the U.S. by the USPTO already in 2010 and for Europe by the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2008.

'Receiving the patent for the underlying method used in our Epi proColon(R) screening test in the U.S. and the notice of allowance for the Septin9 biomarker in China significantly strengthens our intellectual property portfolio for our key product in two of the world's biggest markets,' Dr. Thomas Taapken, CEO/CFO of Epigenomics, commented. 'The method patent in the U.S. extends the IP coverage for Epi proColon(R) beyond the existing protection for the Septin9 biomarker used for colorectal cancer screening. This is especially encouraging in light of the recent Mayo vs. Prometheus court ruling in the US and underscores our leadership in molecular diagnostics based on DNA methylation. The recent patent grants are in line with our strategy to protect our products at different levels and are part of multiple biomarker and method patent applications we have filed over the past years to cover novel DNA methylation biomarkers in many cancer indications. The current grants further validate the innovative nature of our Septin9-based colorectal cancer test.'

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PRESS RELEASE: Epigenomics AG: Epigenomics Further Strengthens Intellectual Property Coverage for Epi proColon in the ...