LINDE TURNOVER UP IN FIRST TWO MONTHS OF 1987

  Engineering group Linde
  AG's &lt;LING.F> world group turnover rose to 518.6 mln marks in
  the first two months of 1987, 5.2 pct more than in the same
  1986 period, management board chairman Hans Meinhardt said.
      But world group incoming orders fell 2.2 pct to 587.3 mln
  marks, Meinhardt told the annual news conference. Excluding
  exchange rate movements, world group turnover rose 8.9 pct and
  incoming orders increased 1.0 pct.
      Linde expects satisfactory results and increased sales this
  year but Meinhardt gave no detailed forecast. Domestic group
  1986 net profit rose to 105.79 mln marks from 80.71 mln.
      Meinhardt said domestic group turnover rose 6.7 pct to
  394.1 mln marks in the first two 1987 months against the same
  period last year but incoming orders fell 5.2 pct to 456.6 mln.
      Linde will ask shareholders at the annual meeting on May 13
  to raise authorised share capital by a maximum 30 mln marks
  nominal for the issue of share warrant bonds with a maximum
  issue volume of 200 mln marks. Linde's authorised share capital
  currently stands at a nominal 49.6 mln marks.
      Meinhardt said the authorisation would give the company the
  necessary flexibility in case Linde needed additional funds for
  acquisitions. He declined to give further details.
      While world group turnover rose 7.2 pct to 3.88 billion
  marks in 1986, incoming orders were barely changed at 3.91
  billion marks. Meinhardt said without the sharp appreciation of
  the mark against major trading partner currencies, incoming
  orders would have been four pct above the prior year's level.
      World group turnover in heavy plant construction rose 7.4
  pct to 777 mln marks, but incoming orders dropped 5.7 pct to
  739 mln marks in the wake of the dollar and oil price plunge.
      World sales for technical gases rose 5.1 pct to 1.05
  billion marks and incoming orders gained 5.2 pct to 1.05
  billion marks.
      Meinhardt said Linde strengthened its market position in
  the refrigeration sector, with particularly strong turnover and
  order gains in Austria, Italy and Norway. World group sales in
  the sector fell 2.5 pct to 493 mln marks, but incoming orders
  rose 2.5 pct to 513 mln marks.
      The fork lift truck and hydraulic sector saw world group
  sales rising 12.4 pct to 1.52 billion marks and incoming orders
  gaining 8.0 pct to 1.57 billion marks.
      Domestic group turnover rose 8.2 pct to 2.93 billion marks
  and incoming orders increased 1.9 pct to 2.92 billion marks.
  The company was producing at full capacity in 1986.
  

