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ICT EXPECTS CONTINUED GROWTH IN FIRST HALF OF 2006

05/24/2006

ICT Automatisering N.V. (ICT) expects continued growth for the first half of 2006. The start in the first quarter of the year was, as it has been in recent years, hesitant. ICT will make this announcement today during its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. Profit after tax is expected to rise by 15% to 20% compared with the first half of 2005, while turnover is expected to rise by at least 10% in the same period. The organic growth will rise slightly.

While the turnover growth from acquisitions will largely be realised by ICT Embedded, organic growth will be accounted for almost entirely by ICT Solutions. Profit after tax in the first half of 2006 is expected to show a rise of 15-20% compared with the same period of last year.

ICT’s strategy remains unchanged. ICT will expand its position in its selected markets and aims to be one of the leading players in those markets. Since critical mass is a requirement in this context, in addition to generating organic growth, we will also be looking  at potential acquisitions in the coming period.

For ICT Embedded, in order to execute this strategy, we will be looking explicitly outside the Netherlands and we are working on a software lab in Central or Eastern Europe. For ICT Solutions, the focus will remain on the Dutch market and we are working on targeted acquisitions.

In addition, we will continue to work on the development of consultancy services via  ICT NoviQ B.V. and via the planned participation in Improve Quality Services B.V..

A major development in the market is that the recruitment of professionals in the ICT software is becoming an obstacle, just as it was in the 1990s. This is true in both the Netherlands and in Germany. We are seeing considerable geographical differences in this context. At the moment, ICT is assessing steps to be taken in anticipation of this threatened shortage in the labour market. ICT currently has 780 employees. The majority of the increase compared with year-end 2005 has come from acquisitions.