FRIEDRICH VORWERK expands into North America: 5C-Tech establishes joint venture 5C-Tech Americas for automated pipeline welding in the U.S.

Tostedt, 10 November 2026 – FRIEDRICH VORWERK Group SE (ISIN DE000A255F11), a leading provider of energy infrastructure, is continuing its international growth course and bringing its automated pipeline welding technology to the world’s largest pipeline market: In October 2026, 5C-Tech GmbH, a subsidiary of the Group, established the joint venture 5C-Tech Americas, Inc. together with experienced partners from the US energy infrastructure industry. The new company is headquartered in Texas and will supply pipeline construction companies in the United States and Canada as well as Central and South America with highly automated welding services for large-diameter transmission pipeline projects. The first project is already scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2027. Pipeline construction in the United States is currently experiencing a wave of new large-scale projects: According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), new gas transmission pipelines with a capacity of around 1.3 billion cubic meters per day are scheduled to come into operation in 2026 and 2027 alone, and around 70 percent of these are already under construction. Roughly two thirds of this capacity originate in Texas, where natural gas from the Permian Basin has to be transported to the LNG export terminals on the Gulf Coast, to power plants and to industrial customers. Projects such as the approximately 590-kilometer Blackcomb Pipeline or the roughly 640-kilometer Hugh Brinson project with a pipe diameter of 42 inches illustrate the scale of construction taking place there. It is precisely on such routes that automated welding plays to its strengths: Every weld that is completed faster and in consistently high quality shortens construction time and reduces risk on site. The joint venture combines 5C-Tech’s technology and project experience with the market access, network and industry expertise of the US partners. While 5C-Tech contributes the welding systems, process development and experienced technicians, the local partners provide access to clients and qualified workers and ensure that projects are executed in accordance with the standards applicable in the USA. Based in Texas, 5C-Tech Americas is located where the production, transport and export of natural gas in the United States converge – and thus in immediate proximity to the projects on which the technology is to be deployed from 2027 onwards. For the FRIEDRICH VORWERK Group, the joint venture is a further building block in its strategy of expanding its technology business and scaling the know-how developed in Germany in international growth markets. Contact Details FRIEDRICH VORWERK Group SE
Harburger Straße 19
21255 Tostedt
Tel +49 4182 - 29470
ir@friedrich-vorwerk.de
www.friedrich-vorwerk-group.de Management Board
Torben Kleinfeldt (CEO)
Tim Hameister Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Dr. Christof Nesemeier Court of Registration
District Court of Tostedt, registration number: HRB 208170