DGAP-News: Viscom AG

Viscom AG achieves record revenue and earnings in 2017 financial year and anticipates further growth in 2018

Incoming orders: EUR 90,250 thousand (previous year: EUR 83,498 thousand, +8.1 %)
Revenue: EUR 88,542 thousand (previous year: EUR 77,245 thousand, +14.6 %)
Operating profit (EBIT): EUR 13,829 thousand (previous year: EUR 10,497 thousand, +31.7 %).
EBIT-Margin: 15.6 % (previous year: 13.6 %).
Net profit for the period: EUR 9,073 thousand (previous year: EUR 7,129 thousand, +27.3 %)
Dividend proposal: EUR 0.60 per dividend-bearing share

Hanover, 21 March 2018 - Viscom AG (ISIN DE0007846867), the European market leader for automated optical inspection systems in the electronics industry, met its forecasts for 2017 and successfully continued on its growth path with revenue of EUR 88.5 million and an EBIT-Margin of 15.6 %.

Incoming orders in the 2017 financial year increased by a substantial 8.1 % year-on-year to EUR 90,250 thousand (previous year: EUR 83,498 thousand). This encouraging figure represents the sustained high level of interest among Viscom's existing major customers. Viscom also generated double-digit growth in consolidated revenue, which rose by 14.6 % to EUR 88,542 million (previous year: EUR 77,245 thousand). Operating profit (EBIT) improved by as much as 31.7 % to EUR 13,829 million (previous year: EUR 10,497 thousand). Accordingly, the EBIT-Margin increased from 13.6 % in the previous year to 15.6 % in the 2017 financial year. Net profit for the period increased by 27.3 %, from EUR 7,129 thousand in the previous year to EUR 9,073 thousand. On the basis of 8,885,060 shares, earnings per share therefore amounted to EUR 1.02 (previous year: EUR 0.80).

The Group's extremely positive development was driven by excellent performance in all regions and divisions. In 2017 alone, Viscom increased its revenue from serial products by 17.3 % and its revenue from services by an outstanding 21.4 % year-on-year. At 15 %, the share of revenue attributable to special products remained largely unchanged as against the previous year (17 %).

Europe was by far the strongest regional market, accounting for around 57 % of the Viscom Group's revenue. Revenue in this region remained essentially unchanged year-on-year at EUR 50,784 thousand (previous year: EUR 50,553 thousand). Due to higher inter-segment revenue of EUR 23,919 thousand (previous year: EUR 17,770 thousand) and capitalised development costs, segment earnings in this region increased by around 32 % to EUR 10,748 thousand (previous year: EUR 8,113 thousand).

Revenue in the Americas region also rose by around 29 %, from EUR 10,530 thousand in the previous year to EUR 13,557 thousand. Projects involving X-ray inspection systems accounted for an increased share of revenue in 2017. In addition to the sustained strength of automotive supply business, orders were gained in the fields of aviation, e-mobility and alternative power generation. At EUR 1,389 thousand, segment earnings in the Americas region were up around 78 % on the corresponding prior-year figure (EUR 780 thousand).

In Asia, Viscom again expanded its business activities with high-end inspection systems compared with the previous year, reinforcing its market leadership for the combined optical and X-ray inspection of assemblies across a number of customer segments. In addition to growth driven by series business, customers showed increased interest in wire bond inspection solutions. Revenue in the Asia region rose by around 50 %, from EUR 16,162 thousand in 2016 to EUR 24,201 thousand in 2017. At EUR 2,105 thousand, segment earnings were higher than in the previous year (EUR 1,536 thousand).

Viscom's aim is to allow its shareholders to participate in the Group's positive economic development. The Executive Board and Supervisory Board will propose a dividend payment of EUR 0.60 per dividend-bearing share to the Annual General Meeting on 30 May 2018. This corresponds to a dividend yield of 2.0 % based on the closing share price at the end of 2017.

Viscom operates in an extremely strong growth market: The continued upturn in the proportion of electronics and the ongoing miniaturisation of electronic components are the driving factors behind the market potential enjoyed by Viscom's inspection systems. They are also the market developments behind megatrends like e-mobility and autonomous vehicles. These advancements are continuously creating new and more stringent process and quality requirements. Viscom's customers meet these requirements by using the Group's technologies to guarantee the quality of complex assemblies. Industry 4.0, which is now fairly well established, is increasingly being accompanied by calls for the use of artificial intelligence, and particularly for specific projects for applications in electronics production and quality assurance. There are two reasons why Viscom is already excellently positioned compared with its competitors in this respect: Firstly, it offers a complete technology portfolio for the inspection industry. This means it can boast in-depth process expertise and has already developed intelligent system communications on the production line with the Quality Uplink. Secondly, Viscom has also been investing in research in this area for many years and is working internally, represented by a team of IT specialists, on various specific implementations for applications in industrial production in the near future.

This gives it extremely strong foundations for continuing to gain market share and remaining firmly on its growth path in future. The management of Viscom AG is forecasting revenue of between EUR 93 million and EUR 98 million and an EBIT-Margin of between 13 % and 15 % for the 2018 financial year. An order backlog of EUR 19.8 million at the end of 2017 represents a good starting point for achieving this.

The 2017 Annual Report is now available in the Investor Relations section at www.viscom.com/europe.
 

Where this release contains forecasts, expectations or forward-looking statements, these statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties. We therefore cannot guarantee that these expectations will prove to be correct. Actual results and developments may deviate significantly from the expectations and assumptions expressed. The factors causing such deviations may include changes in the general economic situation and the competitive environment, exchange rate and interest rate fluctuations, and changes to national and international legislation. The company assumes no obligation to update the statements contained in this release.

OPERATING FIGURES

* Dividend proposal of EUR 0.60 per dividend-bearing share for the 2017 financial year

SEGMENT INFORMATION

* taking consolidation differences into account