Order intake higher, sales steady / Earnings up from prior-year quarter / Target for 2003/2004: Earnings as close to 1 billion euros as possible

After the subdued summer of 2003 ThyssenKrupp made a good start to the new fiscal year 2003/2004. Order intake in the first three months October to December 2003 reached 9.6 billion euros (prior-year quarter 9.0 billion euros), sales 8.7 billion euros (8.7 billion euros). At over 150 million euros, normalized earnings were higher than the prior-year quarter (141 million euros). Executive Board Chairman Prof. Dr. Ekkehard Schulz: "As the economic recovery sets in, we have been observing a better than expected revival in business for some weeks now, and this continued in the seasonally weak month of December."

As the year progresses a further improvement in economic conditions is expected worldwide. The Group expects the main impetus to come in the second half of the year. The focusing of the Group within its key areas of activity Steel, Capital Goods and Services together with the Groupwide efficiency-enhancement program ThyssenKrupp best will also help improve income.

ThyssenKrupp aims to further increase its normalized earnings this year. Schulz: "We want to get as close as possible to the 1 billion euros mark in the current fiscal year. With support from the economy and without major distortions on the currency and raw materials markets, we could even break through the 1 billion euros barrier."

The interim report on the first quarter of fiscal year 2003/2004 will be published on February 13, 2004.

Contact:

Dr. Jürgen Claassen
Corporate Communications and Central Bureau
Telephone +49 (211) 824-36002
Fax +49 (211) 824-36005
E-mail: presse@tk.thyssenkrupp.com
www.thyssenkrupp.com