Sonopress Strengthens Position in Asia

Sonopress Strengthens Position in Asia

GÜTERSLOH, Germany, February 8/PRNewswire/ --

- Gütersloh-Based Media Services Provider Acquires Stake in Leading
Chinese Disc Manufacturer



The Gütersloh-based media services provider Sonopress has undertaken a
joint venture with Zhejiang Huahong Opto & Electronics Group Co. Ltd., a
leading disc manufacturer in China. As of January 18, 2005, Sonopress, a
subsidiary of arvato AG, has acquired a 30 per cent stake in the plant in
Hangzhou. This will enable the company to participate in the fast expanding
market for soft and hardware products in China, thus strengthening its
overall position in Asia.



The government-owned media company Zhejiang General Publishing House is
the majority owner of the plant (located 120 kilometres south-west of
Shanghai), with a 40 per cent stake in the company. CCAV Investment and
Development Co. Ltd. (the management) holds 30 per cent of the shares, as
Does Sonopress. The production facility provides comprehensive services in
The areas of CD and DVD manufacturing, ranging from mastering to
distribution. At present, the daily capacity of the 13 CD and three DVD-
replication machines amounts to 300,000 CDs and 60,000 DVDs, which are packed
and shipped to national as well as international customers. The data carriers
produced are either packaged on-site or sent on a spindle for packaging at
the existing Shanghai Sonopress Service Centre.



Frank D. Bargsten, CEO of arvato storage media, says: "The joint venture
with Zhejiang Huahong Opto & Electronics Group enormously strengthens our
position in the Asian market. We expect additional co-operative ventures, as
well as a stronger utilisation of synergies to result from the network
created between the Sonopress facilities in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan,
Shanghai, and Hangzhou." In Asia, Sonopress offers an all-round service in
the area of CD and DVD production, ranging from pre-mastering, optical
mastering and reproduction, through to warehousing and distribution.



About Zhejiang Huahong Opto & Electronics Group:



Besides disc manufacturing, Zhejiang Huahong Opto & Electronics Group Co.
Ltd. in Hangzhou (in which Sonopress has a 30 per cent stake) also consists
Of a number of affiliates engaging in both upstream content production and
downstream audio and video product distribution. They are Zhejiang Hua Tao
Disc Production Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Huaren Cartoon Co. Ltd., Zhejiang Hongyi
Movie and Television Culture Co. Ltd. , and Zhejiang Chinese Media Holdings
Co. Ltd.



About Sonopress:



Sonopress, a subsidiary of the arvato AG with its headquarters in
Gütersloh, is one of the world's leading replicators of data and information
carriers. Starting out in 1958 as a pressing plant for vinyl records,
Sonopress now boasts expertise in all standard digital data carriers (music
DVD, DVD Audio, SACD, CD Audio, CD-ROM, DVD Video and DVDplus) and is a
one-stop shop for a full range of services, including pre-mastering, optical
mastering and replication, packaging, warehousing and distribution, as well
as all essential studio services for music DVD. Sonopress produces more than
4 million data carriers worldwide every day for a prominent, international
clientele. Sonopress has a network of over 3,900 employees worldwide, whose
primary concern is customer satisfaction. For further information, please
visit: www.sonopress.de.



For further information, please contact:
arvato AG,
Public Relations,
Phone: +49-5241-80-40205,
Fax: +49-5241-80-3315





Source: Sonopress GmbH

arvato AG, Public Relations, Phone: +49-5241-80-40205, Fax: +49-5241-80-3315



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