Lindab, provider of ventilation and construction systems, is expanding into Russia. A manufacturing unit for the Ventilation business area is now open for business in the St Petersburg region. In order to meet the increased demand from the Russian market, Lindab's operations are being boosted with local manufacturing. The St Petersburg unit is Lindab's first step in local manufacturing in Russia. The Profile business area will follow suit with a production unit for Building Systems to be ready during the second quarter of 2008."Local production has many advantages compared to importing products from Lindab's other European factories, says Lindab's Business Area Manager for Ventilation, Hannu Paitula. "Being present locally is also a prerequisite to forging customer relations and obtaining the strong position that we strive for" The location of the new manufacturing unit, approximately 30 km northwest of St Petersburg and close to the new ring road, provides quick access to other growth areas, including Moscow. The organisation is under development but 30 employees have already been recruited. The ventilation market in Russia is growing rapidly at a rate of 10 - 15 % annually. "We want to be part of this development phase and believe that we have a lot to offer, thanks to our experience from the demanding Nordic market," says CEO Kjell Åkesson. "We provide energy-efficient systems that generate a comfortable indoor climate both in summer and winter. The large number of international companies now setting up in St Petersburg and other parts of Russia leads to increasing demands on the construction quality, including ventilation, which is good news for us." Ends Contacts: LINDAB Kjell Åkesson, CEO Email: kjell.akesson@lindab.com Tel. +46 (0)431 850 00 Hannu Paitula, Business Area Manager - Ventilation Mobile: +41 797392388 Anders Persson, HR & IR director Mobile: +46 705185129 About Lindab: Lindab is an international group that develops, manufactures and markets sheet metal products and system solutions for the construction sector. The two business areas, Profile and Ventilation offer complete solutions for construction systems and indoor climate, as well as individual construction and ventilation components for all types of buildings. Lindab is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, Nordic Mid Cap under the ticker "LIAB". The Lindab group has approximately 4,900 employees in 29 countries and generated sales of SEK 7,609 million in 2006. Its head office is located in Grevie near Bastad in southwestern Sweden. For more information visit www.lindab.com