New principal owner of AP&T

Today, AP&T – the Swedish supplier of hydraulic presses, automation and tools – gained a new principal owner. The investment group Fairford Holdings has acquired 91 percent of the shares in AP&T for long-term ownership with the aim of expanding internationally. Consequently, Fairford is taking over, as well as widening, the role of principal owner from Amplico, which has owned 80 percent since 2004. AP&T’s CEO Tord Andersson will retain his position and ownership in the company.

"With such a strong owner as Fairford, we gain excellent opportunities to develop our solutions, take the company to the next level and continue to expand globally," says AP&T's CEO Tord Andersson.

The new principal owner concentrates mainly on the ownership of niche-oriented industrial companies and sees enormous potential in the technological advantage and organization that exists within AP&T.
"We see fantastic opportunities what with AP&T's technical know-how and solutions. This has generated a lot of success, which can increase even more. We believe in strong development and growth within a number of manufacturing niches in which AP&T is already active today," says Bengt A Dahl, Chairman of the Board for Fairford Holdings Scandinavia.

The deal is being carried out at a time when the automotive industry, an important line of business for AP&T, is in the middle of a crisis. Despite this, AP&T has a large volume of orders for 2009. The company's solutions are also aimed at other industries and, with a long-term owner, AP&T is perfectly placed to stay well-equipped for the future.

"Regarding the automotive industry, AP&T is very interesting when it comes to two important future areas: safety and weight-saving that leads to a reduced environmental effect. AP&T is the world's leader when it comes to press hardening, which is a key technology for the automotive industry of the future," says Bengt A. Dahl.
"The company has sold and supplied complete press hardening production lines to Germany, Italy and China during the winter alone. Of course, we hope that the Swedish car manufacturers are also interested in the opportunities that our technology can offer."

The former principal owner, Amplico, is satisfied with the sale and states that the investment was good, but now it is time to hand over the reigns to an owner that can take AP&T to the next level.
"Without mentioning the exact sale price, we can verify that the value of AP&T has increased considerably since we became the principal owner in 2004," says Amplico's Investment Manager Mats Lindahl.

As before, AP&T will have its headquarters in Tranemo, with operations in Blidsberg, Lagan, Tranemo and Brescia in Italy. There are local sales and service centers in Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, China, Japan and North America.

For more information, please contact:

Bengt A. Dahl, Chairman of the Board, Fairford Holdings Scandinavia
+46 (0)63 13 46 86 or +46 (0)706 30 33 87

Mats Lindahl, Investment Manager, Amplico Kapital
+46 (0)31 333 66 53

Tord Andersson, CEO, AP&T
+46 (0)708 31 75 00

About AP&T
AP&T designs, manufactures and markets automation, presses, tools and complete production lines for metal parts manufacturers. We are experts in forming technology and automated flows and can supply complete solutions where we assume total responsibility as the supplier – a concept we call One Responsible Partner®.
For more information, please visit www.aptgroup.com

About Fairford
Fairford Holdings Scandinavia is part of the Fairford Group, which is an active and value-adding investor. Fairford Group strategically seeks opportunities in privately owned companies and minority stakes in publicly listed companies worldwide. Fairford’s activities include the active monitoring of investee performance, from board membership to daily involvement in management, as well as the placement of key employees in investee companies. The investments are long-term. Fairford Holdings Scandinavia has its head office in Östersund.
For more information, please visit www.fairfordholdings.com

About Amplico
Amplico is a private equity firm that has been active since the end of the 1990s and specializes in managing and financing “turn-around” projects in mature and established companies. Together with creditors, the company management and other owners, Amplico implements action plans in order to quickly restore profitability and economic value-added. The economic value-added is realized through customized exit solutions after the projects have been implemented. The company manages SEK 500 million and is jointly owned by the Sixth AP Fund and Ackordscentralen. The head office is located in Gothenburg.
For more information, please visit www.amplico.se

Tranemo, Sweden
March 3, 2009