Middleby Corporation, USA Announces Acquisition of Armor Inox, France

The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ: MIDD) today announced that it has acquired Armor Inox. Armor Inox is a leading manufacturer of thermal processing systems for the food processing industry with approximate annual revenues of $25 million. The addition of this brand complements and further enhances Middleby’s food processing equipment platform. Armor Inox is recognized by the leading global food processors for its unique cooking process. The Armor Inox Thermix cooking system utilizes water to provide for a highly efficient transfer of heat, rapid cook times, and the highest cooking yields. The Thermix cooking system ensures precise control of the cooking cycle resulting in superior product quality and consistency. “In the last eighteen months, Middleby has significantly expanded its food processing equipment platform completing the acquisitions of Armor Inox, Auto-Bake, Cozzini, Danfotech, Drake, and Maurer-Atmos, which adds to the existing portfolio of brands including Alkar, MP Equipment and RapidPak. We have assembled a very strong lineup of globally recognized brands and a portfolio of complementary industry leading technologies. These highly synergistic acquisitions will allow us to provide our customers a uniquely integrated and efficient equipment solution, providing for reduced operating costs and the highest standards of quality. As we complete the integration of these newly acquired brands, we also see significant opportunity to realize operational efficiencies amongst our expanded Food Processing Equipment Group,” commented Selim A. Bassoul, Chairman and CEO. About The Middleby Corporation The Middleby Corporation is a global leader in the foodservice equipment industry. The company develops, manufactures, markets and services a broad line of equipment used for commercial food cooking, preparation and processing. The company's leading equipment brands serving the commercial foodservice industry include Anets®, Blodgett®, Blodgett Combi®, Beech®, Bloomfield®, Britannia®, Carter Hoffmann®, CookTek®, CTX®, Doyon®, FriFri®, Giga®, Holman®, Houno®, IMC®, Jade®, Lang®, Lincat®, MagiKitch'n®, Middleby Marshall®, Nu-Vu®, PerfectFry®, Pitco Frialator®, Southbend®, Star®, Toastmaster® Turbochef® and Wells®. The company’s leading equipment brands serving the food processing industry include Alkar®, Armor Inox®, Auto-Bake®, Cozzini®, Danfotech®, Drake®, MP Equipment®, and RapidPak®. The Middleby Corporation has been recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the Best Small Companies in 2008, 2009 and 2010. For further information about Armor Inox, visit www.armorinox.net For further information about Middleby, visit www.middleby.com . Source: http://businesswire.com - December 21,2011

Middleby Corporation, USA Acquires Danfotech Inc.

The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ:MIDD) today announced the acquisition of Danfotech Inc. (“Danfotech”), a subsidiary of SFK systems A/S. Danfotech is a leading manufacturer of equipment for the food processing industry with annual sales of approximately $5 million. Danfotech products include meat tenderizers, tumblers, presses and defrosting systems. With this acquisition, Middleby continues to add to its portfolio of leading brands and expand its food processing platform. Selim A. Bassoul, Middleby Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “With this acquisition, we further broaden our innovative product offering to our food processing customers. The Danfotech line of products complements our existing portfolio of products under the Alkar, Cozzini, MP Equipment and Rapidpak brands. This acquisition further extends our ability to offer unique processing solutions that improve the efficiency and reduce costs of our customers' processing operations. We believe there are opportunities to significantly increase revenues of Danfotech products by leveraging the strength of our existing sales infrastructure and strong customer relationships.” Statements in this press release or otherwise attributable to Middleby regarding its business which are not historical fact are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Middleby cautions investors that such statements are estimates of future performance and are highly dependent upon a variety of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. These risks are detailed from time-to-time in Middleby's SEC filings. The Middleby Corporation is a global leader in the foodservice equipment industry. The company develops, manufactures, markets and services a broad line of equipment used for commercial food cooking, preparation and processing. The company's leading equipment brands serving the commercial foodservice industry include Anets®, Beech®, Blodgett®, Blodgett Combi®, Blodgett Range®, Bloomfield®, Britannia®, Carter Hoffman®, CookTek®, CTX®, Doyon®, frifri®, Giga®, Holman®, Houno®, IMC®, Jade®, Lang®, Lincat®, MagiKitch'n®, Middleby Marshall®, Nu-Vu®, Perfectfry®, Pitco Frialator®, Southbend®, Star®, Toastmaster®, Turbochef®, and Wells®. The company’s leading equipment brands serving the food processing industry include Alkar®, Cozzini®, Danfotech®, MP Equipment®, and RapidPak®. Please visit www.Middleby.com for more information about the Middleby Corporation and the company brands. Source: www.businesswire.com - July 6, 2012

Alkar-RapidPak, Inc., USA

Company Overview Alkar-RapidPak, Inc. develops, manufactures, markets, and services equipment for cooking and food preparation in commercial and institutional kitchens, restaurants, and food preparation companies in the United States and internationally. The company’s products include batch ovens, chillers, roasting and smoking ovens, liquid brine chillers, and serpentine chub chillers; process control, post-packaging pasteurization, and surface pasteurization products; and belt ovens for roasting. It also offers parts, including test equipment, instrument and motor control panel parts, gas burners, oven door hardware, air handling equipment, cleaning and exhaust system components, smoke generator parts, and... Alkar-RapidPak, Inc. develops, manufactures, markets, and services equipment for cooking and food preparation in commercial and institutional kitchens, restaurants, and food preparation companies in the United States and internationally. The company’s products include batch ovens, chillers, roasting and smoking ovens, liquid brine chillers, and serpentine chub chillers; process control, post-packaging pasteurization, and surface pasteurization products; and belt ovens for roasting. It also offers parts, including test equipment, instrument and motor control panel parts, gas burners, oven door hardware, air handling equipment, cleaning and exhaust system components, smoke generator parts, and brine chiller and continuous line parts, as well as trees, trucks, cages, and components. The company was incorporated as Alkar, Inc. in 2001 and changed its name to Alkar-RapidPak, Inc. in January 2002. The company is based in Lodi, Wisconsin. It has sales locations in Lodi, Wisconsin; Grand Haven, Michigan; and Watertown, Canada. As of December 6, 2005, Alkar-RapidPak, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Middleby Marshall, Inc Mr. John Jurkowski, President Mr. Soren Albertsen, Director of International Sales Source: http://investing.businessweek.com - December 28, 2011

Tulip expanding in the UK

Tulip Ltd strengthens its position as the leading UK supplier of processed meat products following the acquisition of Parkam Foods. A perfect match for Tulip Ltd’s product portfolio. That is probably the most fitting description of Tulip Ltd’s acquisition of Parkam Foods, the UK-based manufacturer of a range of premium products for the UK retail and food-service sectors. Tulip Ltd is hereby strengthening its position in the market by adding new products to its portfolio, while at the same time further increasing its sales to the biggest UK retail chains. In addition to cooked meats, sandwiches and sausages, Parkam Foods also produces a number of high-quality products based on beef, turkey and chicken. This will add a new and valuable dimension to Tulip’s business. The great challenge will be exploiting the synergies arising from the acquisition of Parkam to boost the value of the company’s products, says Steve Murrells, CEO of Tulip Ltd. Parkam Foods consists of four companies: Parkam Foods, Tranfoods, Trophy Foods and Freshway. The companies have a total of 750 employees, with expected revenue for the current financial year in the region of GBP 100-115 million. Parkam Foods is a strong player within the premium segment, and Steve Murrells believes that this is what makes the company a perfect match for Tulip. Tulip is already a strong supplier of high-quality products, but perhaps not necessarily with a sufficiently strong presence in the premium segment. This gap will now be filled by the acquisition of Parkam Foods, says Steve Murrells.

Tulip Food Company is returning its second-best results ever

Tulip’s owners are pleased with the second-best results in the company’s history in the form of primary earnings (EBIT) of approx. DKK 260 million. There is no doubt that the past year has been characterised by extremely difficult conditions which have put our organisation under considerable pressure. Therefore, I am pleased with the results even though sky-rocketing commodity prices have meant that they are slightly below last year’s record earnings, says CEO Flemming N. Enevoldsen Tulip has been faced with increasing costs of, for example, raw materials and packaging. One by one, competitors in the meat-processing industry have downgraded their outlooks in a year where the ingredients for producing, for example, sausages, bacon and cold cuts reached unseen heights. At the end of the financial year, Flemming N. Enevoldsen stresses that the challenging times are far from being over. Unfortunately, the world market is still in the throes of the economic crisis and characterised by increasing unpredictability. I therefore expect FY 2011/12 to be another difficult year, says the CEO. Adjusting to market conditionsTulip is currently operating in a market where both shops and food companies throughout Europe are struggling to get used to the changing conditions. Many of the commodity price increases are here to stay. This is due, among other things, to increasing demand, especially in China, for the raw ingredients which Tulip uses in large quantities, and this means that we simply have to adjust to new price levels, says Flemming N. Enevoldsen. On the other hand, he is pleased that the company’s growth targets have been met. We have realised our target for organic growth. This is clear evidence that Tulip’s products are still very much in demand worldwide. At the same time, we have focused strongly on streamlining the organisation and cutting costs, and as a result Tulip is now a far more efficient company, explains Flemming N. Enevoldsen. However, the focus on lower costs must be combined with looking at the opportunities offered by the current market conditions. The best strategy is to invest in recessionary times if company finances permit, and if the company deserves the confidence of its owners. We must therefore make the most of the challenges facing every company in the business to further strengthen Tulip’s position, says Flemming N. Enevoldsen. New form of incorporationIn the course of the financial year, the partnership company Tulip Food Company became a limited company (A/S). This has had considerable finance cost and tax implications, so drawing comparisons with last year’s net profit is therefore not easy. The net effect of this step is approx. DKK 53.3 million for the financial year.

MULTIVAC acquires Trimaster Oy, Finland

With the acquisition of the Finnish company Trimaster Oy, MULTIVAC is making a significant expansion in its product portfolio of line automation, robotics and palletising systems. With this move the packaging specialist, which operates throughout the world, can now offer complete end-to-end packaging lines right through to final pal-letisation. At the same time MULTIVAC is strengthening its presence in Scandinavia. Trimaster Oy was acquired by MULTIVAC Finland through the purchase contract of 9. December 2011. Trimaster Oy, which was founded in 1998, specialises in palletising systems and robotic cells as well as monitoring and conveying systems. Trimaster Oy currently employs around 20 staff members, who will be integrated into MULTIVAC's Finnish sales and service business. "We are delighted at the acquisition by this market leader, and we are also glad to be able to contribute our expertise in robotics and automation within the MULTIVAC Group and to be able to develop it sustainably", emphasizes Leo Johansson, the company owner to date of Trimaster Oy. He adds, "Trimaster Oy has a good market position in Finland and Sweden. Our customers benefit from the local presence and our quick reaction times". The experience of MULTIVAC and Trimaster in the development of robotic solutions offers the opportunity of being able to offer automation for the widest range of requirements in the food processing sector. "Our customers are increasingly faced with handling challenges, for example with loading of product into packs or with the converging of packs after packaging. With the acquisition of Trimaster Oy we are extending in particular our range of ABB robots and monitoring systems," adds Esa Harju, Managing Director of MULTIVAC Finland. Trimaster Oy is a 'preferred partner' of the Swedish company ABB Robotics and will intensify this partnership, particularly in the sector of palletising systems. ABB is one of the leading suppliers of industrial robots, modular manufacturing cells and service. Source: www.multivac.com - December 19, 2011