Waggonbau Graaff to manufacture 100 chemical tank cars for BASF

Hamburg, 1 December 2009.  BASF SE has awarded a large contract to Waggonbau Graaff, the wagon manufacturing plant of VTG Aktiengesellschaft (WKN: VTG999): the world’s leading chemical company is having 100 state-of-the-art stainless steel rail tank wagons built by the well-established wagon manufacturer in Elze, Germany.

“For safety of chemical transports in rail tank wagons, we value the highest manufacturing quality and the absolute reliability of our suppliers”, says Dr. Bernhard Heyder, the head of Rail Service Centre of BASF in Ludwigshafen, Germany. “Waggonbau Graaff meets these requirements due to its many years of experience in design and production. We receive high-quality tank wagons within a short time.”

“BASF makes the highest demands of it suppliers”, says Jürgen Hüllen, Chief Technology Officer of VTG Aktiengesellschaft. “We are therefore especially proud to be building tank wagons for this chemical company.” In 2008, VTG took over the then insolvent wagon manufacturer. After successful integration into the Group and substantial investment in the plant, Waggonbau Graaff now has an annual production capacity of 300 wagons. The manufacture of these 100 chemical tank cars alone equals a third of annual production.

The stainless steel rail wagons being manufactured for BASF are designed to transport a very wide range of chemical products. They have a usable tank volume of 72 cubic meters and can be deployed universally.

For over 90 years now, Waggonbau Graaff has proved professional and reliable as a manufacturer of high-quality wagons. It manufactures special rail tank cars for chemical products, in particular chemical tank wagons in various stainless steel designs, freight wagons for domestic and foreign railway companies and vehicles for intermodal transport by rail and road. Waggonbau Graaff also offers its customers key components such as bogies, underframes and bodies.

About VTG:

VTG Aktiengesellschaft is one of Europe’s leading wagon hire and rail logistics companies. The company has the largest private wagon fleet in Europe. Globally, the fleet consists of some 50,000 rail freight cars, with a focus on tank cars and state-of-the-art high capacity freight cars and flat cars. In addition to the hiring of wagons, the Group offers global tank container transports and comprehensive multi-modal logistics services, mainly around rail transport.

With the combination of its three interlinked divisions Wagon Hire, Rail Logistics and Tank Container Logistics, VTG offers its customers a high-performance platform for international transport of their freight. The Group has many years of experience and specific expertise, in particular in the transport of liquid and sensitive goods. Its customers include numerous well-known companies from almost every industrial sector, for example the chemical, petroleum, automotive and paper industries.

In the financial year 2008, VTG generated revenue of EUR 608.7 million and operating profit (EBITDA) of EUR 156.4 million. Via its subsidiaries and affiliates the company, which has its head office in Hamburg, is mainly present in Europe, Asia and North America. As at 31 December 2008, VTG had 1,004 employees worldwide in consolidated companies. Since June 2007, VTG AG has been listed on the official Prime Standard market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and, since September 2008, also on the SDAX (WKN: VTG999).

Media contact:

Tanja Laube
Head of Corporate Communications
Telephone:        +49 (0) 40 23 54-1341
Fax:                  +49 (0) 40 23 54-1340
Email:                 tanja.laube@vtg.com

Yvonne Studier
Press Officer Trade Press
Telephone:        +49 (0) 40 23 54-13 45
Fax:                 +49 (0) 40 23 54-13 40
Email:             yvonne.studier@vtg.com