DGAP-News: Krones AG / Key word(s): Quarter Results Krones AG: 2015 is off to a good start - Krones continues profitable growth trend 30.04.2015 / 09:30 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Corporate news release 30 April 2015 2015 is off to a good start - Krones continues profitable growth trend - Revenue rose 5.1% to EUR738.9 million in the first quarter. - New orders at Krones were up 6.5% to EUR787.0 million. - Profitability improved further. EBT margin widened from 6.1% to 6.8%. - KRONES is expecting 4% revenue growth and an EBT margin of 6.8% for 2015. Krones, the world's leading manufacturer of beverage filling and packaging technology, has got the financial year 2015 off to a good start. In the period from January to March, revenue rose 5.1% year-on-year to EUR738.9 million. At EUR787.0 million, new orders exceeded the already-high year-earlier figure of EUR738.8 million by 6.5%. Demand was brisk across much of Krones' range of products and services. At EUR1,127.2 million, orders on hand at 31 March 2015 were up 4.5% over the end of 2014. Krones also further increased its profitability in the first quarter of 2015, generating a very good margin for the period. Key here were the measures taken under the Value strategy programme, with which the company is progressively increasing efficiency. As expected, prices yielded no positive effects. Krones improved earnings before taxes (EBT) by 16.5% to EUR50.2 million. The EBT margin, the ratio of earnings before taxes to revenue, advanced from 6.1% to 6.8%. In the company's core segment, revenue was up 12.8% and the EBT margin widened from 7.2% to 7.4%. The segment for the low output range accomplished the turnaround and generated an EBT margin of 4.4%. In process technology, the first-quarter EBT margin was down slightly, from 1.7% to 1.6%, on lower revenue as a result of invoice timing. Consolidated net income climbed 17.1% in the first quarter of 2015 to EUR35.0 million. That corresponds to earnings per share of EUR1.11 (previous year: EUR0.95). Krones improved its return on capital employed (ROCE) - the ratio of EBIT to average net tied-up capital - to 16.5% in the reporting period (previous year: 15.4%). Outlook - Forecast for 2015 affirmed Based on the current macroeconomic prospects and developments on the markets relevant to Krones, the company expects consolidated revenue to grow by 4% in 2015. Krones expects only little support from price levels. The company's profitability is set to improve yet again this year. Krones expects the EBT margin to rise to 6.8% in 2015. That puts Krones very close to the medium-term target of 7%, which the company had set itself when launching its Value programme. The company is aiming to increase its third strategy target, ROCE, to 17% this year. Krones published the complete Interim Report for the first quarter of 2015 online today at http://www.krones.com/en/investor_relations/reports.php. Key figures Q1 2015

                                          1 Jan - 31 1 Jan - 31     Change
                                            Mar 2015   Mar 2014
Revenue                       EUR million      738,9      703.0      +5.1%

New orders                    EUR million      787,0      738.8      +6.5%

Orders on hand at 31 March    EUR million    1,127.2    1,028.2      +9.6%


EBITDA                        EUR million       70.5       63.1     +11.7%

EBIT                          EUR million       49.2       42.2     +16.6%

EBT                           EUR million       50.2       43.1     +16.6%

Net income                    EUR million       35.0       29.9     +17.1%

Earnings per share                    EUR       1.11       0.95     +16.8%


Capital expenditure for PP&E  EUR million       15.8       12.4  + EUR3.4m
and intangible assets
Free Cashflow                 EUR million      -56.2     - 40.2 - EUR16.0m

Net cash and cash equivalents EUR million      280.2      199.8 + EUR80.4m

ROCE (liabilities side)                 %       16.5       15.4          -

ROCE (assets side)                      %       14.7       13.3          -


Employees at 31 March
Worldwide                                     12,756     12,353       +403

Germany                                        9,414      9,100       +314

Outside Germany                                3,342      3,253        +89

Ansprechpartner: Olaf Scholz Senior Vice President of Investor Relations Krones AG Phone: +49 9401 70-1169 E-mail: [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30.04.2015 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: Krones AG Böhmerwaldstraße 5 93073 Neutraubling Germany Phone: +49 (0)9401 701169 Fax: +49 (0)9401 709 1 1169 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.krones.com ISIN: DE0006335003 WKN: 633500 Indices: MDAX Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard), Munich; Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart End of News DGAP News-Service --------------------------------------------------------------------- 351073 30.04.2015