Hanover, December 12, 2007 - with effect from December 1, 2007 Forbo Siegling, the belting specialist operating worldwide, took over the Italian manufacturer of special belts Specialpipe srl. Specialpipe, with headquarters at Erba on Lake Como, is a manufacturer of rubber-coated, helically-wound endless special belts (feeder belts) for wood sanding and metal grinding machines and what are known as haul-off belts for manufacturing cables and profiles.

The employees and all the production facilities in Erba will be integrated into Forbo Siegling Italia S.p.A. Erba will remain the base. Forbo Siegling will market the products under the brand name Siegling Propipe.

For Forbo Siegling, the takeover of the Specialpipe product range, and in particular this company's expertise, is a welcome addition to the existing portfolio. With the fabric-based belts made of synthetic materials under the Siegling Transilon brand, the company already has a range of products that can for example be used in wood and fibreboard manufacture. However, till now Forbo Siegling had no suitable belting product for sanding or grinding, which is the next phase in the process. At this stage only helically-wound endless, rubber-coated belts are used.

Supported by the existing Forbo Siegling sales and service network worldwide, the goal is to use Siegling Propipe to increase the market share
significantly over the next three years. To date, Specialpipe was primarily active on the Italian market and had no comparable sales network operating internationally. As a result 80% of sales were in Italy.

Forbo Siegling employs more than 1,900 globally people in 8 production sites and 25 international
companies. Forbo Siegling belts, made of synthetic materials, are used in nearly all industries, but also in the retail and services sectors. Key competencies are the food and packaging industries, logistics and airports, as well as paper, print and raw materials industries. Siegling was founded in 1919 in Hanover, Germany. Since 1994 Siegling has belonged to the Swiss company Forbo International. The products have been marketed since 2007 under the master brand "Forbo Movement Systems".