Essen and Meschede, Germany, April 7, 2010. As of April 1, 2010,
Trimet Aluminium AG, Essen, will be the sole metal supplier to HonselAG,
Meschede. The Essen company, which is already Honsel’s biggest supplier,
will provide the latter with more than 100,000 tons of primary aluminum,
magnesium, and special alloys annually in the future.

“Entrusting Trimet with our metal puchases will strengthen our long, successful
partnership, which has been beneficial to our customers in the automobile,
mechanical engineering, and consumer goods industries,”Peter Harbig,
CEO of Honsel AG, says. The ability to ensure a steady supply of light metals at
competitive prices is a distinct competitive edge, as is the development of new,
higher performing alloys, which would be advanced in cooperation with Trimet.
“In light of the situation on the metal markets, which is becoming increasingly
complex due to their high volatility, outsourcing our metal purchasing to Trimet
is a logical step,” Harbig states.

Trimet, which started as a trading company, has become one of the largest
German aluminum producers. The company owns sophisticated financing, hedging,
and compensation tools that balance price fluctuations and provides its customers
with reliable calculations, thus minimizing the risks for processors such as Honsel
or customers such as automakers. In addition, Trimet, which produces exclusively
in Germany, guarantees that its primary and secondary aluminum production is
particularly environmentally friendly.

By increasing the delivery volume to Honsel, Trimet will expand its leading position
as an aluminum producer and trader on the market.
The Trimet Executive Board is convinced that, in the end, all of its customers
will profit from the company’s stronger market position.

Both companies’ strategy is to focus more than ever on their core competencies.
As a result, Trimet will place more emphasis on trading and producing light metals
and developing innovative special alloys that are based on aluminum, while Honsel
will concentrate on the development and production of light metal components.
In addition to the classic processes of casting, extrusion, and rolling, the finishing
and machining of products, for example with the help of innovative coating processes,
will take on a bigger role in the company’s service portfolio.