5 May 2010

HILL & SMITH HOLDINGS PLC 

("Hill & Smith" or "The Group")

Contract for New Modular Gantry System for M1 Motorway

Hill & Smith, the international group with leading positions in the supply of infrastructure products, galvanizing services and building and construction products to global markets, is pleased to announce an important new contract for the supply of gantries on the UK's M1 motorway.

Through its subsidiary Varley & Gulliver, Hill & Smith will design, manufacture and install over 60 lightweight steel gantries for the Costain Carillion joint venture delivering the M1 junction 10 -13 upgrade.  The contract has a value of circa £4 million.

Hill & Smith has already installed 34km of its temporary crash barrier Varioguard on this project, and will supply and install its Techspan variable message signage onto the Varley & Gulliver gantries, providing further evidence of the Group's ability to sell a broad range of solutions for major infrastructure projects.

On 17 February 2010, the UK's Highways Agency announced the appointment of four delivery partners - Carillion, the Costain/Serco joint venture, Balfour Beatty and the BAM Nuttall/Morgan Est joint venture - for its circa £2 billion Managed Motorways schemes.  The schemes are aimed at reducing congestion and improving safety and will introduce hard shoulder running on sections of the motorway network including the M1, M4, M5, M6, M60 and M62.

Variable message signage and the gantries onto which they are mounted are an integral part of a hard shoulder running system and Hill & Smith is confident that the Managed Motorways schemes will drive further demand for these and other road infrastructure products supplied by the Group. 

Commenting on the contract Derek Muir, Chief Executive of Hill & Smith, said:

"This major contract win endorses the appeal of our new modular lightweight gantry system and is an important milestone for Varley & Gulliver.

"The breadth of our involvement in this M1 project - through crash barriers, variable message signage and now gantry systems - demonstrates the full service offering that we are developing for the Highways Agency and its delivery partners.  We expect theManaged Motorways schemes to be an important driver of demand for our road infrastructure products over the next five years."

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Notes to Editors

Hill & Smith Holdings PLC is an international group with leading positions in the design, manufacture and supply of infrastructure products and galvanizing services to global markets.  It serves its customers from facilities principally in the UK, France, USA, Thailand and China.

Headquartered in the UK and quoted on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: HILS.L), Hill & Smith Holdings PLC employs some 3,000 staff operating in 5 countries.  In the year to 31 December 2009, it generated revenues of £389.7m.

The Group's operations are organised into three business segments:

Infrastructure Products which supplies products and services such as permanent and temporary road safety barriers, overhead sign gantries, street lighting columns, bridge parapets, gantries, demountable car parks glass reinforced plastic railway platforms, variable road messaging solutions, traffic data collection systems, plastic drainage pipes, pipe supports for the power and LNG markets, energy grid components and security fencing.

Galvanizing Services which provides zinc and other coatings for a wide range of products including fencing, lighting columns, structural steel work, bridges, agricultural and other products for the infrastructure and construction sectors.

Building and Construction Products which supplies in steel and other composite materials, products such as, roofing systems, safety handrails and flooring, lintels and doors, all with a range of uses including those for  large infrastructure projects involving schools and other public buildings.