Heat Treatment Equipment Businesses Sold for £25m

Bodycote International PLC
15 November 1999


For further information, please contact:

John Chesworth, Managing Director
David Landless, Finance Director
Bodycote International plc              Tel: [phone]

Edward Bridges
Financial Dynamics                      Tel: [phone]


BODYCOTE SELLS ITS HEAT TREATMENT EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING BUSINESSES FOR £25
                                    MILLION
                                       
Bodycote  International  plc  ('Bodycote'),  the  international  metallurgical
processing group, announces that it has agreed the sale of its heat  treatment
equipment   manufacturing   businesses;  Schmetz  GmbH   ('Schmetz'),   Mahler
Industrieofenbau   GmbH  and  BMI  Fours  Industriels  to  two   institutional
investors,  advised  by Barclays Private Equity GmbH of Germany,  and  certain
managers ('the Purchaser').

The  total  consideration for the sale is DM75 million  (£24.59  million),  of
which  DM65 million (£21.31 million) will be satisfied in cash on 12  November
1999,  and the DM10 million (£3.28 million) balance by the issue of a  7  year
loan  note.   In  addition,  under  a separate  agreement,  Bodycote  and  the
Purchaser have the option to sell or buy (as the case may be) certain land and
buildings owned by Schmetz for DM4.5 million (£1.48 million).

In  aggregate,  the businesses disposed of had sales of £22.3 million  in  the
year  ended  31  December  1998,  profits before  tax  of  £3.5  million,  and
contributed  £2.7 million to the Group's consolidated pre-tax profit  for  the
year  ended 31 December 1998.  The aggregate net assets of the businesses  and
properties  being sold are approximately £4.7 million.  The  proceeds  of  the
disposal will be used for Bodycote's general corporate purposes.

As  part  of the sale arrangements, Bodycote has agreed to continue to  source
furnaces (on a non-exclusive basis) from these three businesses.

Commenting  on  the disposal, John Chesworth, Managing Director  of  Bodycote,
said today:

'We are delighted to announce the sale of these businesses.  We are selling
because  our  focus  is to provide metallurgical and  testing  services  to
industry.  The physical vapour deposition equipment manufacturing  business
of  Hauzer Techno-Coating Europe BV is being retained to ensure the  proper
technical and market development of the PVD technology.'