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Bosch has secured more than 50 percent of the shares in sia Abrasives


WEBWIRE

Stuttgart (D)/Frauenfeld (CH) – On October 1, 2008, Bosch signed an agreement with Behr Bircher Cellpack BBC AG, Villmergen (Switzerland) to purchase nearly 40 percent of the shares in the Swiss company sia Abrasives Holding AG, Frauenfeld. On October 2, 2008, Bosch announced that it intends to make a public offer for all outstanding shares of sia Abrasives Holding AG at a price of 435 Swiss francs in cash per share, publishing a pre-announcement to this effect at the same time.

From October 2, 2008 through October 8, 2008, Bosch acquired 64,561 shares in sia Abrasives Holding AG. Via Scintilla AG, Solothurn, an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, Bosch made these acquisitions through market purchases on SIX Swiss Exchange as well as off-exchange. Together with sia Abrasives Holding AG, Bosch and Scintilla AG form a group pursuant to Art. 20 (1) SESTA and Art. 15 SESTO-FBC. Including the 27,149 treasury shares held by sia Abrasives Holding AG, this group has now secured 52.07 percent of the outstanding shares of sia Abrasives Holding AG.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 271,000 associates generated sales of 46.3 billion euros in fiscal 2007. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 300 subsidiaries and regional companies in roughly 50 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Each year, Bosch spends more than 3 billion euros for research and development, and applies for over 3,000 patents worldwide. The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.”

The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.

Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com.

The sia Group, headquartered in Frauenfeld, Switzerland, is one of the world’s top three suppliers of flexible abrasives. It develops, manufactures, and markets complete, customized abrasive systems for the treatment of the surfaces of workpieces of all kinds. These products turn sanding and grinding into surface technology. Worldwide, sia Abrasives employs some 1,150 associates, and generated sales of 298 million Swiss francs and EBIT of 30.3 million Swiss francs in 2007. sia Abrasives Holding AG is listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange, and generates more than 90 percent of its sales outside Switzerland.

Additional information can be accessed at www.sia-abrasives.com.

PI6491 - October 10, 2008



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