August 1, 2004

EQUITA acquires INDUS subsidiary OKIN

EQUITA, the private equity company of the Harald Quandt Group, acquired OKIN Gesellschaft für Antriebstechnik mbH & Co. KG from the publicly traded INDUS Holding AG. Equita made the acquisition through its investment fund Equita Beteiligungen Fonds 2.

OKIN, with headquarters in Gummersbach, Germany, is the world market leader for specialized electrical actuator systems in the furniture sector, and expects to achieve total sales of €100 million in 2004. The company has manufacturing operations in Poland, Hungary and China, among other locations, and sells its products worldwide. OKIN has more than 900 employees.

EQUITA has been investing in mid-sized companies for more than 14 years, focusing on providing financing in succession scenarios as well as growth and expansion financing. EQUITA Fonds 2 has more than €200 million in equity capital. EQUITA considers this takeover as an excellent addition to its portfolio, and will actively support the future expansion of OKIN.

With the sale of OKIN, INDUS has taken a further step towards the optimization of its investment portfolio. The proceeds will be reinvested to diversify the risk-return-profile of the INDUS portfolio. It was agreed, not to disclose the purchase price.

The management of OKIN will continue to be in the hands of Dietmar Koch and Klaus Bellingroth. The latter will also remain a shareholder of the company with a 10% stake.

For further information please contact:

INDUS Holding AG

Michael Eberhart
Telephone: +49 (0) 2204-4000-0
Telefax: +49 (0) 2204-4000-20
indus@indus.de

Kölner Str. 32
51429 Bergisch Gladbach
www.indus.de

EQUITA Management GmbH

Dr. Hansjörg Schnabel
Telephone: +49 (0) 6172-9441 229
Telefax: +49 (0) 6172-9441 335
hansjoerg.schnabel@equita.de

Harald Quandt Haus
Am Pilgerrain 17
www.equita.de