In the current fiscal year (9.30.), the information services of the ThyssenKrupp corporate group will for the first time reach the billion DM revenue hurdle - a year earlier than announced. Compared to last year, this is equivalent to an increase of 50 percent. The share of external business already amounts to 65 percent. Information Services is currently represented in 50 locations worldwide.

Upward tendency also as far as employees are concerned: Ca. 3,400 employees now work at Information Services worldwide. That`s twice as many as last year. The fluctuation rate is unusually low for this sector, in the single-digit percentile range.

IT and multimedia - the combination does it

In the sense of one-stop shopping (everything from a single source), the ThyssenKrupp Information Services Group offers particularly industry a combination of IT systems house and multimedia service provider that is unique on the market. The two main companies and brands are Triaton and Xtend.

Today, Triaton counts among the leading international IT systems houses and, in Germany, has established itself among the "Top 3" manufacturer-independent companies. And in the meantime, Xtend plays an important role in its own league, the "Top 10" multimedia agencies.

Triaton offers one-stop shopping for IT services. Xtend is a successful and innovative multimedia service provider, operating for Triaton as well as independently on the market.

Combined, these two companies plan, build and run global IT and multimedia solutions particularly for industry. The service spectrum extends from consulting over computer center outsourcing, speech-data communication, SAP services, application development, telematics, satellite communication, broadcasting, eBusiness, information systems, digital TV, education and training up to multimedia.

Going with the customer, globally

ThyssenKrupp Information Services does not set its focus on a product, but solely on the needs of its industrial customers. One-stop shopping means, in this case, making everything that the customer desires possible. Especially in an age in which information technology is penetrating an ever increasing number of business processes. A further essential competitive factor - a "must" for the entire group - is the globalization of industry. Across the board, traditional companies that are globally situated want "in". If possible, with their complete and complex business processes. Many companies see this as an opportunity to concentrate more fully on their own core business. But as a rule, they only want one IT service provider. So ThyssenKrupp Information Services` job is very simple: To be the single, global partner of the customer as well as his suppliers.

Worldwide expansion

ThyssenKrupp Information Services` objectives are ambitious and remain so: To date, only 15 percent of our revenues stem from abroad. Our medium-term target, three to five years, is 50 percent foreign revenues. This is, by the way, the actual level of the entire corporate group.

As far as employees are concerned, we also plan to continue expanding for global coverage. In the future, the required critical size must be reached in the world`s ca. 30 to 40 largest areas of industrial concentration. Particularly in the eastern part of the USA, in South America and Europe. But also in Asia. ThyssenKrupp Information Services counts on 300 to 500 employees in each of these industrial areas.

At an average market growth rate of ca. ten to twelve percent, the group expects the number of employees to triple to 10,000 worldwide in three to five years. Revenue prospects look similar.

This is to be realized either through the acquisition of companies or through the takeover of industrial IT units (outsourcing).

An overview of the companies

Triaton - "The BusinessProcessor"

Triaton`s business purpose is the representation of complex business processes through IT and eBusiness. Represented worldwide, Triaton alone produces 80 percent of the entire ThyssenKrupp Information Services Group`s revenues with its ca. 2,500 employees. Triaton operates its own high-performance Hosting as well as Customer Care Centers and, with ca. 500 operated systems, is among Europe`s leading SAP service providers.

The Triaton Group places its focus on clear segments within industry and serves customers of the following sectors:

- Automotive (Mannesmann VDO, Honeywell...)

- Chemicals (Basell Polyolefine, Ticona...)

- Life science/health care (Aventis Pharma, Dade Behring, Klinikum Wuppertal...)

- Logistics/telematics (BRAMBLES, ATG, Koegel, DB Cargo...)

- Mechanical and plant engineering (Kloeckner Holstein Seitz, Krupp Berco Bautechnik...)

- Metal/paper/wood (ZAPP AG Stahlwerk Ergste-Westig, ISPAT Germany...)

- Trading (Imperial Logistics International, Verband der Vereine Creditreform...)

In the eBusiness area, Triaton plans, implements and operates complete IT environments. Solutions for supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship management (CRM), electronic data interchange (EDI) as well as for auctions, portals, online shops, B2B marketplaces or also enterprise resource planning (ERP) and HR management belong to its range of services. As an application service provider (ASP), Triaton offers one-stop shopping from customer-specific solution packages up to full service.

Partnerships exist with all the large and relevant manufacturers.

Xtend - The eCommercialist

As a full-service provider, Xtend makes the entire added-value chain in eBusiness available to the customer in one-stop shopping: from consulting over screen design, editing, software development and Web hosting up to customer service, content providing and cross-media marketing including digital TV services and outdoor multimedia advertising. Xtend plans, realizes and operates interaction platforms for its customers, in which the Internet grows together with other communication media such as mobile commerce and digital TV.

The companies under the leadership of the Xtend AG are among the leading companies in their segment. Some have longstanding know-how in the successful realization of complex projects. For example, Xtend new media is among the "Top 5" eCommerce providers in Germany (according to a recent DMMV study). In the digital TV area, Xtend broadcast is the third largest service provider. In addition, INFOSCREEN is the market leader in outdoor multimedia advertising.

Xtend has industry know-how in the industrial, transport, tourism, media, public institutions and trading areas. Reference addresses are, among others, www.rwe.com, www.avanza.com, www.dolomitisuperski.com, www.moremiles.com, www.garant-service.de, www.n-tv.de, www.ikea.de and www.steigenberger.com

Information Services at Serv

With six segments, the ThyssenKrupp corporate group places its focus on the central areas steel, industrial goods and services. The segment Serv is of particular importance to ThyssenKrupp Information Services: The company that leads this area, the ThyssenKrupp Serv AG (currently being founded) is, with ca. two billion euro in revenues and approx. 25,000 employees, the parent of the corporate group`s IT and multimedia activities.

All services in and around industry and facilities are united in Serv. From maintenance and upkeep over technical facility management up to high-quality IT and communication services. For this purpose, specialized companies that are among the leaders in their respective sectors were brought together under ThyssenKrupp Serv`s roof.

Contact business press:
Stefan Ettwig
ThyssenKrupp Materials & Services
Phone: +40 (0)211/967-5091
Fax: +49 (0)211/967-8555
E-mail: ettwig@tkms.thyssenkrupp.com

Contact trade press:
Susanne Philippsen
ThyssenKrupp Information Services
Phone: +49 (0)2151/83-3179
Fax: +49 (0)2151/83-3520
E-mail: philippsen@tkis.thyssenkrupp.com

Summary of the speech by Dr. Peter Chylla, Chairman of the Managing Board ThyssenKrupp Information Services

Summary of the speech by Dieter Weißhaar, Chairman of the Board of Directors Xtend AG