Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to welcome you to today's press conference at Interpack 2008. For our company this is the most important trade show. We are dedicating over 2000 square meters here to presenting our trend-setting solutions.

Bosch Packaging Technology is one of the leading suppliers of holistic systems in the world of packaging and process technology. This includes also servicing as well as audits, consulting and engineering, start-up support or the partial operation of installations. As you can see, our expertise reaches much further than just technical know-how. We are now "complete solution providers" and therefore important partners for the pharmaceutical, confectionery and food industries.

I would like to start with the following three statements:

- The past two years have been exceptionally successful for Bosch Packaging Technology

- We are a one-stop provider and are consistently following this route.

- For decades now, the Bosch brand has been synonymous with innovation, quality and reliability. Our solutions are creating added value. This in turn lays the foundation for our customers' commercial success.

Business Development, 2007: A successful year for Bosch Packaging Technology
We have been operating in a positive environment and have profited from the good economic conditions. We were able to profit in particular because we have the right business model based on the following:

- Bosch answers customers' needs, provides a reliable and top-quality service and leads the way through innovation.

- We also occupy a broad and international position. We are exactly where the customer needs us - in 14 countries and approximately 30 locations. In the most diverse business sectors and global regions Bosch is able to satisfy requirements. Regarding local services we have a clear priority: we want to be close to our customers, and we are demonstrating this not just through our focus on distribution, but also by providing development, production and support in our locations, in fact wherever our customers require these services. This supports us to strengthen our position.

In the past two years Bosch Packaging Technology has been exceptionally successful both at home and abroad. In 2007 we were able to increase our sales to 650 million euro in today`s basis of consolidation, which is a growth of 14 percent compared to the previous year. 8 percentage points thereof are a result of organic growth, the further growth was contributed from acquisitions - which I will address later. The number of our associates has also increased to currently around 4 400. 60 percent of these are located outside of Germany.

For Bosch Packaging Technology, the pharmaceutical sector continues to be our strongest area. It accounts for around 41 percent of orders received. The confectionery sector has slightly lost ground in 2007 in comparison to 2006. The global confectionery market grew only marginally although growth rates are markedly stronger in Eastern Europe - albeit at a very low level. In the food sector, we are around 24 percent up on orders received. This means that with around 39 percent, this sector occupies a very strong position in our overall portfolio. There are two factors accounting for this rise in the food sector: increased demand for established products and our expansion into new business areas. "Ready-to-eat" products, for instance, are particularly popular in the United States.