In January 2004, the Company acquired certain assets of Bird Machine Company business from the US-based Baker Hughes Incorporated. Bird Machine is a global specialist in the solid-liquid separation of industrial and municipal applications utilizing a broad range of centrifuges and filter presses.  In August 2004, Andritz completed the acquisition of the Filtration Business Unit from international Netzsch Group, based in Germany.  The Netzsch Filtration Business Unit supplies different types of dewatering units, in particular filter presses, for solid/liquid separation in industrial und municipal applications. The acquisition of the Fluid Bed Systems Business Area of VA TECH WABAG, Germany was completed in November 2004. Based in Ravensburg, Germany, the globally active Fluid Bed Systems Business Area is specialized in the development, production and erection of plants for granulation and drying of solutions, suspensions, and bulk materials. The total costs for these three acquisitions amounted to EUR 3,520 thousand of which Euro 1,366 thousand have been allocated to patents and know how and the remaining goodwill amounted to EUR 1,344 thousand. The described acquisitions are all part of the business area environment and process.

in August 2004 the company acquired in the pulp & paper business area 51,1% of the shares of CyberMetrics Inc. in the U.S.A, a specialist in on-line measurement of pulp quality and the remaining 50% of Voith Andritz Tissue L.L.C.  in November 2004. The total costs of these acquisitions amounted to EUR 247 thousand with a related goodwill of EUR 1.080 thousand.

To expand the product portfolio in the business are Rolling Mills and Strip Processing Lines Andritz has purchased certain assets and know how of insolvent Otto Kaiser GmbH in Germany, a manufacturer of high-performance mechanical presses for steel strip. This transaction took place in Septemter 2004. The total costs for these assets were EUR 3,987 thousand.

The acquired businesses have contributed EUR 95,257 thousand to sales and EUR 3,496 thousand to earnings before interest, taxes and amortization (EBITA) of the Andritz Group since the date of acquisition. If the acquisitions would have been at the beginning of the reporting period the Group´s EBITA would have been EUR 96,738 thousand and the revenue from continuing operations would have been EUR 1,545,202 thousand.

Inter-company balances and transactions, including inter-company profits and unrealised profits and losses have been eliminated. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared using uniform accounting policies for like transactions and other events in similar circumstances.