Wuppertal, 18 July 2006 – Today, Prime Standard-listed holding company GESCO AG acquired 100 % of the shares in Frank Walz- und Schmiedetechnik GmbH in Hatzfeld.

Established 170 years ago as a hammer mill, Frank today regards itself as the leading agri-technology forge in Europe. The company manufactures a broad spectrum of rolled and forged wear parts, primarily for agri-technology, harvesting technology and landscape conservation. Frank is an original equipment supplier to agricultural machinery manufacturers and also supplies spare parts to the specialist trade. Highest wear resistance parts are one specialist area and are used, in particular, in tillage. In addition, the company manufactures components and complete assembly groups for industrial application on the basis of its high level of technical expertise. The “Frank