As part of a visit to Duisburg focused on work and training, German President Dr. Horst Köhler called in on Germany's biggest steel producer, ThyssenKrupp Steel AG, on June 21, 2006. Köhler's main interest was in the company's first-class training efforts. In addition to providing conventional training in 31 occupations, three years ago the company and the Labor Agency of Duisburg set up a unique program called "Chance" designed to support young people who have been unsuccessful in their search for an apprenticeship. Young people who fail their first test at ThyssenKrupp Steel due to deficits in their academic achievements are taken onto a twelve-month program to prepare them for the next round of applications. Twelve youngsters took part in the program in 2004, 30 in 2005 and 20 in 2006. They are given the opportunity to acquire basic knowledge and skills which are of use in various industrial/technical occupations. The experience of the program is enabling many of these young people to find an apprenticeship more easily. That's why ThyssenKrupp Steel will not only be continuing the project in the future but expanding it. A contractual partnership with the Federal Labor Agency is being prepared.

Tradition: Training beyond the company's own needs

ThyssenKrupp Steel has a tradition of supporting young people: despite falling employee numbers, the company traditionally trains more youngsters than it can subsequently take on. This helps ease the difficult situation on the training market and supports the training pact between government and industry. It also improves the company's own chances of recruiting well-qualified personnel before the expected shortage of skilled workers begins in a few years' time. Already, each year's best apprentices are retained on permanent contracts.
On September 30, 2005 the apprenticeship training rate stood at a record level of 5.5 percent. In total, almost 1,600 young people were undergoing apprenticeship training, and 443 new apprentices were hired, one percent more than a year earlier. Thyssen Krupp Steel currently provides training in 19 industrial/technical and 12 commercial and IT occupations.

ThyssenKrupp Steel in brief

ThyssenKrupp is a global group active in steel, capital goods and services. In fiscal year 2004/2005 it generated sales of 42.1 billion euros with more than 184,000 employees in over 70 countries.
The Steel segment is focused on high-quality carbon steel flat products and is one of the world's leading producers in this market segment, ranking second in Europe. Duisburg-based ThyssenKrupp Steel AG is the segment's holding company and largest single entity, producing around 14 million metric tons of crude steel and generating sales of almost 9.7 billion euros.

Including subsidiaries active in the areas of processing, coating and steel service, the segment employs more than 30,000 people. The Steel segment includes Rasselstein GmbH, operators of the world's largest tinplate production site in Andernach, and Duisburg-based ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks GmbH, world market and technology leader in laser-welded blanks for the auto industry.

Central site: Duisburg

The company's main site is Duisburg on the Rhine, which offers logistical advantages for the procurement of raw materials and short distances to key customers. Here, in the world's biggest steelmaking city, the company operates an integrated iron and steel mill with highly efficient iron- and steelmaking, processing and coating facilities. ThyssenKrupp Steel employs a total of around 12,000 people in Duisburg. Further sites with rolling mill and coating lines are located in Bochum, Dortmund, Finnentrop, Neuwied and in the Siegerland district. As a leading-edge steel producer the company has production facilities at its disposal which set international standards. Duisburg is home to Europe's first carbon steel casting-rolling line in an integrated mill. Also in the north of the city can be found the world's most advanced cold rolling mill, capable of producing ultrahigh-strength strip in extremely wide and thin dimensions. Hot dip coating line 8 at the Dortmund site is regarded as the most efficient of its kind in the world.

A major investment project is currently being carried out to strengthen the iron and steelmaking operations: ThyssenKrupp Steel is building a new blast furnace and relining an existing one in Duisburg-Hamborn - at a total capital cost of 340 million euros. The realization of the project, scheduled for completion in 2008, will secure 1,200 jobs directly and another 3,600 indirectly. The new facility will employ state-of-the-art pollution control equipment capable of reducing emissions to below the statutory limits, which will bring about a further improvement to the environmental situation in the nearby residential areas. The company spends around 300 million euros a year on environmental protection.

Steel: The number one industrial material

Steel is a high-tech product which is being constantly refined and plays an indispensable role in everyday life. The ThyssenKrupp Steel product range includes hot-rolled strip, sheet, coated products and heavy plate in a wide range of grades. With more than 2,000 different steel types offering specific properties in terms of formability, strength and finish depending on application, ThyssenKrupp Steel provides more than just material expertise: the company is a systems integrator supplying know-how in the interplay of material, design and production technology. Integrated solutions tailored to customer needs are the result.

ThyssenKrupp Steel is helping reduce weight in auto manufacture with laser-welded blanks and tubes which, in combination with advanced high-strength steels, reduce body weight and save fuel, while offering first-class safety standards. ThyssenKrupp Steel is also developing new coatings with enhanced characteristics such as scratch resistance and easy-clean properties. For the construction industry, the company produces fire-resistant steels, design beams and construction elements for industrial and commercial steel building. In association with the renowned color designer Friedrich Ernst von Garnier, it has even developed a modern product line for a new color experience in building with steel. Intensive research and development efforts, funded to the tune of 160 million euros a year, make it possible to bring materials to market which are tailored to their particular applications.

International focus: Investment in Brazil

ThyssenKrupp Steel's international operations are focused on profitable growth. The company operates hot dip coating lines in Spain and China and service centers in Europe and North America. Subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks has production sites in Germany, Italy, Sweden, China, Mexico and the USA.

To be able to participate in the anticipated growth of the global steel market and utilize regional cost advantages and proximity to raw material sources, the company is building an integrated iron and steel mill in Brazil. Together with the world's largest iron ore producer Companhia Vale do Rio Doce it is to build a mill at the coastal location of Sepetiba in the state of Rio de Janeiro which will have a capacity of 5 million tons of slabs a year. The 2.4 billion US dollar project includes the construction of two blast furnaces, an oxygen steelmaking shop with two continuous casters, and dock facilities. The plan is to supply low-cost slabs from the new mill to the company's production plants in Germany and other processing centers. Around 40 percent of the slabs produced in Brazil are to be processed at the company's German sites, which are also to be enhanced through capacity expansion programs. Investment funds of 400 million euros are planned for this. 60 percent is earmarked for expansion into the NAFTA market.

This press release is also available on the internet at: www.thyssenkrupp-steel.de