In the third quarter of the current fiscal year the caatoosee Group continued its national and international expansion. Proving its growth dynamic the sales climbed 130 % to DM 14.2 million as compared to the previous quarter. During the first nine month the turnover was boosted by 397 % to DM 24.9 million (previous nine months at DM 5.0 million).

caatoosee recorded an EBITDA of DM -3.3 million for the period under review (99/00: DM -0.2 million). In consideration of the depreciations totaling DM 4.1 million including goodwill amortization of DM 2.9 million the EBIT amounted to DM -7.4 million (99/00: DM -0.4 million).

The earnings situations was defined by the expenditures for research and development totalling DM 4.0 million and the persistently strong growth requiring investments. In particular, caatoosee increased the number of employees both in the production area and in research and development.

Earnings before taxes (EBT) developed according to plan and amounted to DM -5.4 million in the reporting period (99/00: DM -0.4 million). Earnings were weighed down by anticipated joint venture startup losses of DM 1.2 million and by third-party profit sharing of DM 0.4 million. The financial results in the first nine months stood at DM 3.7 million. After taxes, this resulted in earnings of DM -5.5 million.

At the end of the reporting period, cash and cash equivalents, including short-term investments, totaled DM 120.6 million. The existing liquidity was invested expediently to be at disposal for the implementation of the company's strategic goals.. As of December 31, 2000, equity capital amounted to DM 164.7 million. With total assets of DM 192 million, this corresponds to an equity ratio of 85.8%.

On December 31, 2000, the company had a total of 355 full-time employees with an age average of 30.8 years. The average number of employees in the first nine months was 227 persons.

In order to expedite the integration of the newly acquired companies and to position them in the market with a comprehensive solution portfolio, caatoosee is combining all activities of the Group that are directed towards optimizing corporate processes and data flow into the subgroup redtoo ag (formerly Edifact AG). "In the future, caatoosee will market information logic solutions that mainly focus on internal company systems and their interfaces exclusively under the redtoo brand," explained Guido Alt, CEO of . "In so doing we are creating the optimum basis for connecting ERP to the online world." With sales of DM 5.9 million, redtoo AG activities generate approximately 24% of the group turnover.

By acquiring a majority stake in Dialog Links Interactive GmbH (Hamburg), a specialist in customer care marketing, caatoosee added dialogue-oriented concepts to its service portfolio. To increase its expertise in the area of specialized ASP services, the company also acquired a strategic 10% interest in Teraport GmbH (Stuttgart/Munich) during the period under review.

"With our stake in PT Sigma Cipta Caraka, the holding company of the Sigma Group, caatoosee's internationalization achieves a new level of quality," Alt emphasized. "With this, caatoosee not only improves its access to the growing Asian market, but also strengthens its product and service portfolio, especially in the areas of outsourcing and ASP services, as well as its expertise in the financial services sector." In addition, caatoosee expects significant benefits in the area of software development, which in accordance with the "following-the-sun principle" can be organized practically around the clock since the cooperation between German, Eastern European and Indonesian teams. With Balicamp, the Sigma Group has a unique, ISO-9001-certified development center.

Against this backdrop, the company expects to carry the positive development of sales into the fourth quarter and be able to meet the set sales and earnings targets. The company's successful expansion and internationalization confirms its positive expectations for the next fiscal year.