Ad-hoc | 12 February 2001 07:52

Ad hoc-Service: Basler AG english

Ad-hoc announcement sent by DGAP. The sender is solely responsible for the contents of this announcement. ——————————————————————————– Basler AG: Preliminary figures for 2000 indicate strong sales increases Preliminary result clearly above the expectations most recently expressed Sales in 2000: 78.9 mio. DM, i.e. a 17% increase on 1999 Preliminary EBIT with –6.4 mio. DM burdened as expected through high start-up investments. The increased group sales are above all the result of the more than 300% sales increase in the Vision Components business (digital high-performance cameras for vision systems). The systems business grew as well: Sales with inspection systems for DVDs could clearly be increased; the same applies to sales with inspection systems for flat screens (display inspection) which grew by 100%. The EBIT of the year 2000 amounting to -6,4 mio. DM is characterised by high start- up investments in the young and promising business units Machine Vision Components (camera business), Display Inspection (inspection of flat screens) and Web Inspection (inspection of plastic foils). For the year 2001, it is expected that further strong sales increases and the return to profitable results will be achieved. The preliminary figures on a group-wide basis in detail in mio. DM 1999 2000 Sales revenues 67.7 78.9 EBIT 6.0 -6.4 Annual result 0,6 -6.0 Staff on day of reference 272 303 end of Ad hoc-announcement, (c) DGAP 12.02.2001 Issuer’s information/explanation remarks concerning this ad hoc announcement: The preliminary results of Basler AG, leading supplier of artificial vision systems, the technology of artificial vision, for the previous business year 2000 clearly exceed the expectations most recently expressed. The 17% sales increase on 1999 to 78.9 mio. DM is above all due to a 300% sales increase in the vision components business (digital high-performance cameras for vision systems). The systems business has also developed favourably. Sales with inspection systems for DVDs could be multiplied (while the general development of sales in the Optical Medical Media Inspection field was stagnant), and sales with inspection systems for flat screens grew by 100%. The bulk of sales, i.e. 57%, were achieved in Europe. In the US-business, Basler could record a strong increase. Particularly the growth of inspection systems for DVDs as well as camera products is responsible for the 25% proportion of sales achieved in the USA. Asia accounted for 15% in the previous business year. The EBIT in 2000 is characterised by high start-up investments in the young and promising business units Machine Vision Components (camera business), Display Inspection (inspection of flat screens) and Web Inspection (inspection of plastic foils). Over and above that, decreasing sales revenues were recorded as a result of a temporary decrease in business with recordable storage media (CD- Rs). The result was an EBIT of -6.4 mio. DM. This is an improvement on the most recent forecasts of -8.5 mio. DM. In the previous business year, the number of staff grew underproportionally to sales. At the end of the year 2000, the Basler group had a staff of 303, an 11% increase on 1999 (272 at the end of the year). For the current business year 2001, the task having top priority for Basler is to return to profits. With a further strong sales growth, Basler also expects a clearly positive EBIT. The order situation at the beginning of the year complies with the planned level. The final results of the business year will be presented on 22 March 2001. Then the fiscal report will be available at www.baslerweb.com . Christian Höck, Investor Relations, Tel. ++49 (0)4102 463 175, Basler AG, An der Strusbek 60-62, D-22926 Ahrensburg, christian.hoeck@baslerweb.com, www.baslerweb.com ———————————————————————– WKN: 510 200; Index: Listed: Neuer Markt in Frankfurt; Freiverkehr in Berlin, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, München und Stuttgart 120752 Feb 01