R. STAHL AG invests in long-standing South-African sales partner
ESACO Pty. Ltd.

Waldenburg, 21 October 2016 - R. STAHL strengthens its global presence with an investment in South Africa. The objective of the investment is the development of the African market, with a focus on the sub-Saharan region. This way, R. STAHL will be able to directly supply those customers that are already active on the African market. In order to realize this new regional approach R. STAHL acquired a 35% interest in the long-standing partner the South-African company ESACO Pty. Ltd.
ESACO Pty. Ltd. is an owner-managed company, headquartered in Linbro Park near Sandton/ Johannesburg. The company was founded in 1975 and became a distributor of R. STAHL products right away. Due to the cooperation with R. STAHL, the product portfolio of ESACO has been expanded by establishing an extended workbench for explosion protected electrical equipment. This has allowed ESACO Pty. Ltd. to quickly respond to customers' specifications and to better cater to South African market requirements. ESACO Pty. Ltd. has many years of experience in the marketing of explosion-protected equipment. It is also an ISO 9001 listed company. "For many years, the employees of ESACO Pty. Ltd. have been familiar with the technical products and solutions of
R. STAHL and they know the requirements of the local market very well. This expertise allows for an easy access of R. STAHL to the markets in sub-Saharan Africa. We assume that we will win a lot of major projects in this region in the coming years and we already position ourselves strategically for future growth", says Bernd Marx, CFO of R. STAHL AG. Through the investment, the market development in the region south of the Sahara, e.g. in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia or Nigeria, will be particularly intensified. R. STAHL estimates that the sales increase that can be achieved in this market in the medium term will be EUR 15-20 million.

Over the years, R. STAHL has been very successful in winning large projects in Africa, the last one being an offshore project in Angola. Due to the investment, R. STAHL is now present on the African continent as well and can supply customers locally, especially customers located south of the Sahara. With the proximity to the African end customers, continued success will be ensured.

About R. STAHL - www.stahl.de
R. STAHL is the world's leading supplier of electrical and electronic products and systems for explosion protection. These products and systems prevent explosions in hazardous areas and contribute to the safety of people, machines and the environment. The portfolio ranges from products used in switching/distributing, installing, operating/monitoring, lighting and signalling/alarming up to automation. Typical customers are the oil & gas industry, the chemical and pharmaceutical industry and the food industry. In 2015, global sales amounting to EUR 312.9 million were generated with 1,894 employees.

The shares of R. STAHL AG are traded on the Regulated Market/Prime Standard of Deutsche Boerse (ISIN DE000A1PHBB5).

Contact:
R. STAHL AG
Am Bahnhof 30, 74638 Waldenburg (Württ.)

Bernd Marx (CFO)
Phone: +49 7942 943 1271

Carmen Kulle (Investor Relations)
Phone: +49 7942 943 1395

E-Mail: investornews@stahl.de