Members of the Board of Nabaltec AG among the finalists in the 'Entrepreneur of the Year 2012' competition

- Ernst & Young awards the prize to recognize innovativeness and personal commitment;

- Prize awarded on 21 September at the 'Alte Oper' opera house in Frankfurt.

Schwandorf, 25 September 2012 - Impressive growth rates, high innovativeness and social commitment: for the 16th time, the auditing and consulting firm Ernst & Young chose the best mid-size companies in Germany. After a strenuous, multi-phase selection process, 75 out of the 300 nominated companies in five categories have advanced to the final round of the 'Entrepreneur of the Year 2012' competition, and the Members of the Board of Nabaltec AG, Johannes Heckmann and Gerhard Witzany, have been among them. 'I am very pleased by this success. Reaching the final round in this renowned competition demonstrates that Nabaltec has been able to combine high innovation with economic success and social engagement in optimal fashion. And, what is especially important, we accomplish this consistently and on a sustained basis. That's why we are especially pleased to be nominated once again for the final round', commented Gerhard Witzany.

'The entrepreneurial prize has been highly regarded for many years because of its high criteria and prestigious jury', said Wolfgang Glauner, the competition's project manager. The 75 finalists have distinguished themselves through especially high innovativeness thanks to the hard work of their highly qualified and highly motivated employees. They have efficient organizational structures with quick decision-making processes, allowing them to respond flexibly to changing market conditions.

'It was a strong field and therefore no easy task for the jurors', explained Wolfgang Glauner: an independent jury of well-known economic experts was charged with selecting the 'Entrepreneurs of the Year 2012' from all the finalists. In each of the five categories, industry, commerce, services, IT/media and start-up, one winner was announced and honored on 21 September at the 'Alte Oper' opera house in Frankfurt before a distinguished audience. For the first time, a prize was also awarded for family businesses, recognizing the exemplary achievements of a family business with a long tradition of sustainability, a focus on value and assuming social responsibility.
Before the award ceremony, Frank Schätzing, author of the bestsellers 'Der Schwarm' and 'Das Limit' gave an interesting preview of the future: 'Rumors of the Future: What the World Probably Won't Become'.

Innovation as the Key to Success

The companies in the final round have demonstrated high growth rates. They represent all major sectors of the economy and generate an average of EUR 68 million in revenues a year, with an average of 430 employees. They hired more than 4,000 new employees in 2011. Nabaltec is one of the larger companies in this field of nominees. Nabaltec AG's revenues were up 14.5 percent in 2011, to EUR 129.0 million, and its operating result (EBIT) was up 92.3 percent, to EUR 12.5 million. Its employee base increased by 7.5%, to 400. 'Nabaltec's ability to respond very quickly to market conditions and customer needs is the key prerequisite for our success in this very internationalized market. Nabaltec enjoys an outstanding reputation among its customers, as our recent customer survey demonstrates. Forming strong customer relationships based on highly innovative products and consistently reliable top quality has been the foundation for our continued success in 2012 despite an environment which is not getting any easier', said Johannes Heckmann. In the first six months of 2012, Nabaltec had revenues of EUR 68.3 million and operating result (EBIT) of EUR 6.7 million.

A key factor in the success of this year's finalists is the ability to quickly respond to changing market conditions with innovative products and services: these companies have invested above-average in innovation and are therefore in a position to bring newly developed products to market quickly and withstand the ongoing consolidation process in many sectors of the economy. The entrepreneurs attribute their ability to successfully implement innovations to their highly qualified and committed employees, which is why training and professional development play a decisive role in their companies.

About the 'Entrepreneur of the Year' Competition
Ernst & Young organizes the 'Entrepreneur of the Year' competition in 50 countries worldwide. In Germany, the award will be given for the 16th time in 2012: a neutral jury chooses the winner in five different categories. The award identifies and honors outstanding entrepreneurial achievement. The competition is held with support from renowned companies and media outlets like DZ BANK, Jaguar, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Manager Magazin.

In addition to recognizing successful entrepreneurs today, Ernst & Young has also set out to promote the next generation of entrepreneurs by creating the 'Entrepreneur of the Year Junior Academy'.

The Independent Jury

* Prof. Dr. h.c. Lothar Späth, former Ministerpräsident;
* Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Prof. e.h. mult. Dr. h.c. mult. Hans-Jörg Bullinger, President of the
Fraunhofer Society;
* Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Wolfgang Franz, President of the Centre for European Economic Research;
* Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. August-Wilhelm Scheer, founder of IDS Scheer AG;
* Dr. Patrick Adenauer, Managing Director of Bauwens GmbH & Co. KG.

About Nabaltec AG:
Nabaltec AG, with registered office in Schwandorf, a chemicals business which has received multiple awards for innovativeness, manufactures, develops and distributes highly specialized products based on aluminum hydroxide ('ATH') and aluminum oxide, as well as other raw materials, on an industrial scale through its 'Functional Fillers' and 'Technical Ceramics' divisions. The company's product range includes halogen-free flame retardant fillers and eco-friendly additives for the plastics industry. Flame retardant fillers are used e.g. in cables in tunnels, airports, high-rise buildings and electronic devices, while additives replace stabilizers containing heavy metals in PVC processing. Nabaltec also produces base materials for use in technical ceramics, the refractory industry and catalysis. Unlike halogenated flame retardant fillers, the products manufactured by the company's 'Functional Fillers' division contain no hazardous substances and do not require separate disposal. Rather, the company's flame retardant fillers actually decrease the development of fumes hazardous to human health and the environment in the event of fire. Nabaltec maintains production sites in Germany and the US and plans to continue to consolidate its market position by expanding capacity, further optimizing processes and quality and making strategic extensions to its product range. On the strength of its specialty products, the company strives to attain the market leadership in each segment.

Contact:

Marina Fuchs

Nabaltec AG

Phone: +49 9431 53 - 205

Fax: +49 9431 53 - 203

E-mail: mfuchs@nabaltec.de

Frank Ostermair

Better Orange IR & HV AG

Phone: +49 89 8896906-14

Fax: +49 89 8896906-66

E-mail: frank.ostermair@better-orange.de