SSAB´s Board of Directors approved yesterday an investment of 340 million SEK to create conditions for continued growth for quenched steel at SSAB Oxelösund. In the beginning of the year, another investment of 145 million SEK was decided for the same reason. These two investments create opportunities for a 35 % increase in volume for quenched steel. – Since the large investments at SSAB Oxelösund in the end of the 90th, we have seen a very rapid growth for the quenched steel. With those two new investments we can create conditions for continued growth in this area, says Bengt Nilsson, the president of SSAB Oxelösund. The quenched steel is our core business. By given us the opportunity to improve this business, it fortify our belief in the future, continues Bengt Nilsson. Full effect from the investments, which first is about eliminating bottlenecks in the production flow, will come in the autumn of 2007. SSAB Oxelösund is the worlds leading producer of quenched steel. The products are marketed throughout the world under the HARDOX and WELDOX trade marks. They are used where high abrasion and strength are required together with good weld ability and formability as well as low weight. In the range of products there is also the protective plate called ARMOX and the tool steel TOOLOX. For more information, please contact: Bengt Nilsson VD SSAB Oxelösund +46-155-25 40 00