Paris - The Carlyle Group ("Carlyle"), the global private equity firm, has today announced that on April 20, 2007, CDC Capital Investissement ("CDC") entered into exclusive discussions with Carlyle and Maurice Genoyer to acquire Groupe Genoyer ("the Company").

Since the firm’s inception in Vitrolle (France) in 1963, Groupe Genoyer has grown into a major provider of international trade and manufacturing of piping equipment for oil, gas, water and petrochemicals. With 1350 employees, of which 755 are based in a large Romanian plant (Vilmar) and 350 in Vitrolles headquarters, the Company’s unique positioning in international trade and manufacturing has enabled Groupe Genoyer to develop global expertise in complex project management.

Since its acquisition in 1998 by Carlyle, Maurice Genoyer and management, Groupe Genoyer has strengthened its global position. Under the leadership of current management and with the financial support of its shareholders, the Company has increased its commercial presence through new sales offices while re-engineering its industrial organization towards higher value-added products. The Company has notably made significant capital expenditure in its Romanian facility (Vilmar).

Following strong revenue growth in 2006, Groupe Genoyer anticipates 2007 turnover of over €300 million, of which 90% will be generated through exports.

"Carlyle and Maurice Genoyer are very pleased to have backed Groupe Genoyer in its development and strategic repositioning over the past nine years. We would like to thank Alain Tricolet and Genoyer’s management for their exceptional efforts. This transaction confirms the success of the strategy we put in place and the strong support from shareholders," stated Jean-Pierre Millet, Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, and Maurice Genoyer, founding partner and president of the Supervisory Board of Genoyer SA.

René Maury, CEO of CDC Capital Investissement, said: "This transaction validates our strategy of acquiring leading businesses and supporting them in their development. We are very proud of this acquisition alongside the management headed by Alain Tricolet."

"During this transaction we have been pleased to share our ambitious strategic plan with CDC. CDC’s investment maintains continuity with the approach of Carlyle and Maurice Genoyer, and we are delighted that they will support our plans for growth. We would like to warmly thank Carlyle and Maurice Genoyer for their support over the years and during this process," commented Alain Tricolet, CEO of Groupe Genoyer.

Completion of the transaction may take place within in the next two months.

About CDC Capital Investissement
Created in 2006, CDC Capital Investissement resulted from the merger of CDC Entreprises Capital and CDC Entreprises Services Industrie, two entities with a track-record of over 60 investments over the past 10 years. Under the sponsorship of Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, CDC Capital Investissement manages private equity funds totaling over 1.8 billion euros. CDC Capital Investissement targets companies with valuation up to 1 billion euros and invests in equity as a majority or minority shareholder. Among the latest transactions, CDC Capital Investissement notably acquired a stake into Quick, Frères Blanc, Marc Orian, Agro-Service 2000, Plastiques Gosselin, and Feu Vert. For more information www.cdcci.com