EANS-News: SMT Scharf AG reports significant revenue and earnings growth in first half of 2012

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corporate news transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer/originator is solely
responsible for the content of this announcement.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6-month report

Subtitle: Revenue up 60 % to EUR 49.6 million / EBIT rises 39 % to
EUR 7.2 million / Order book position of EUR 34.7 million at the end
of H1 2012 down 17 % year-on-year

Hamm (euro adhoc) - August 14, 2012 - SMT Scharf AG (German
Securities Code [WKN] 575198, ISIN DE0005751986), technology and
world market leader for rail-bound railway systems for underground
mines, substantially increased its revenue and earnings in the first
half of 2012. The SMT Scharf Group generated EUR 49.6 million of
revenue, representing 60 % growth compared with the previous year's
EUR 30.9 million. Of this revenue, 92 % was attributable to markets
outside Germany (previous year: 88 %). In particular, demand from
China and Russia was very good.

Operating output rose 36 % to EUR 48.7 million (previous year: EUR
35.7 million). The company boosted its operating profit (EBIT) to EUR
7.2 million, reflecting 39 % growth (previous year: EUR 5.2 million).
SMT Scharf AG provided sustainable evidence of its high profitability
with a 14.9 % EBIT margin, compared with 14.7 % in the first half of
2011 (the EBIT margin is now based on operating income, rather than
revenue, as in the previous year). The cost of materials ratio was
constant at 52 %. In contrast, the personnel expenses ratio fell to
17 % (previous year: 19 %). Overall, the SMT Scharf Group generated
EUR 5.9 million of consolidated net income, compared with EUR 4.3
million in the comparable period of 2011, reflecting 38 %
year-on-year growth.

At EUR 33.4 million, new order intake was down 34 % compared with the
very strong previous year (H1 2011: EUR 50.6 million). The SMT Scharf
Group reported an order book position of EUR 34.7 million as of the
end of the first half of 2012, equivalent to a 17 % decline compared
with the previous year's EUR 41.8 million.

Christian Dreyer, who has been the Chief Executive Officer of SMT
Scharf AG since May 1, 2012, assumes that the positive business trend
will continue over the coming months: "We reported further revenue
and earnings growth in a weaker global economic environment. We aim
to continue this trend in the second half of 2012. Although we
anticipate a slight cooling of the mining sector in 2013, we expect
robust medium-term growth to resume during the following years."

The complete report for the first half of 2012 will be available
during the course of today at www.smtscharf.com in the Investor
Relations section.

Further inquiry note:
Investor Relations
cometis AG
Henryk Deter / Patrick Ortner
Tel: +49(0)611 - 205855-16
Fax: +49(0)611 - 205855-66
e-mail: ortner@cometis.de

end of announcement euro adhoc
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

company: SMT Scharf AG
Römerstr. 104
D-59075 Hamm
phone: +49(0)2381-960212
FAX: +49(0)2381-960311
mail: ir@smtscharf.com
WWW: http://www.smtscharf.com
sector: Machine Manufacturing
ISIN: DE0005751986
indexes: CDAX, Classic All Share, Prime All Share
stockmarkets: free trade: Berlin, München, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart,
regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt
language: English