Ad-hoc | 16 May 2001 20:19

Ad hoc-Service: Basler AG english

Ad hoc announcement transmitted by DGAP. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. ——————————————————————————– Basler AG: Diversification is taking hold. – With a turnover of Euro 7m and an EBIT of Euro -2.5m the figures for the first quarter are as expected. – A recovery of the market for optical storage media is expected in the third quarter. – The part of the turnover achieved in the “young” growing sectors already amounts to 50% and further strong growth is expected. Ahrensburg, May 16, 2001 – The Basler AG – leading supplier of vision technology, the technology of artificial vision – reached the expected turnover of Euro 7m within the first quarter and could also reduce the loss according to expectations by 10% to Euro -2.6m compared to the previous year. The business with inspection systems for optical storage media still shows rather restrained activities. According to branch experts, a stimulation of the CD-R and also of the DVD market is only to be expected in the third quarter of this year. Therefore, this year’s total turnover of Basler will be below last year’s. Due to high start-up investments, the company is expecting a loss for 2001. On the other side, the promising and strongly growing business divisions Machine Vision Components (high-performance cameras), Display Inspection (inspection systems for flat screens) and Web Inspection (inspection systems for plastic foils) are developing as planned with up to three-digit growth rates. These divisions already contribute a good 50% to the total turnover. This makes it clear that the strategy of diversification is about taking hold. The figures in an overview: In million Euro Q1/2001 Q4/2000 Q1/2000 Turnover 7.0 7.9 9.5 EBIT -2.5 -2.8 0.3 Profit/loss -2.6 -2.9 -0.1 Earnings per share (in Euro) -0.73 -0.83 -0.03 Incoming orders 7.3 7.9 13.8 Employees 297 308 295 Further information: Christian Höck – Investor Relations, Basler AG, Tel. ++49 (0)4102-463 175, christian.hoeck@baslerweb.com end of ad hoc announcement (c) DGAP 16.05.2001 Issuer’s information/explanatory remarks concerning this ad hoc announcement: Basler AG: Diversification is taking hold. Ahrensburg, May 16, 2001 – The Basler AG – leading supplier of vision technology, the technology of artificial vision – reached the expected result in the first quarter. 50% of the turnover reached could be achieved through the “young” growing sectors, what therefore underlines the success of their diversification strategy. Turnover With Euro 7m, the turnover reached the same level than in the previous quarter (Euro 7.9m) and was thus clearly below the revenue of the same quarter in the previous year (Euro 9.5m). Already in the end of last year, it became apparent that the market for optical storage media would show a significantly weaker tendency in 2001 than expected beforehand. Thus, for once recordable media such as CD-Rs as well as for DVDs only restrained investment activities could be reported in the first quarter. A recovery of the core business division Optical Media Inspection is only to be expected as of the third quarter of 2001. The second main business of Basler, on the other hand, is running positively as planned: the business division Sealing Inspection (inspection systems for sealing rings) could keep its turnover despite the weakened economy in the USA. Of prior interest is here the further development of the market share of at present 55%, among other things through a further expansion of the existing product portfolio and the development of global distribution activities. In the first quarter, the “young” business sectors were of special pleasure and they are still growing dynamically. Display Inspection (inspection of flat screens) could report a significant growth in turnover of more than 100%. In this division there are incoming orders worth a one-digit million amount, which promise an annual result as planned. The youngest business division Web Inspection (inspection of plastic foils) has realized further important reference projects and faces potential incoming orders. The business division Machine Vision Components (business with high-performance cameras) reported three-digit growth rates compared to the same period of time in the previous year. Profit/loss In the first quarter, the result was influenced by the current weakness of the market for optical data carriers as well as by the start-up investments in the promising und strongly growing business divisions Display Inspection, Web Inspection and Machine Vision Components. EBIT amounted to Euro -2.5m in the first quarter of 2001, a decline of Euro 2.8m compared to the same quarter in the previous year. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2000 (Euro -2.9m), the loss could be reduced by 10%. Here, a first success of the cost-cutting measures implemented in the last months could be stated. Loss amounted to Euro -2.6m (compared to Euro 2.6m in the same quarter of the previous year) and the performance per share according to the German Association for Financial Analysis and Investment Counseling totaled Euro -0.73 (Euro -0.70 compared to the same quarter of the previous year). Research & Development Expenditure for research and development amounted to Euro 2.5m in the first quarter of 2001 (+67% compared to Euro 1.5m in the same quarter of the previous year). These costs reflect an especially high innovation speed in all business divisions. Incoming orders Incoming orders on group basis totaled Euro 7.3m for the first quarter on the reporting date March 31, 2001. This corresponds to the expected decline of 47% compared to the first quarter of 2000 (Euro 13.8m). Outlook The current weakness of the market for optical storage media will still have an influence on the turnover and result development for Basler in the next months. Not only on the market for once recordable storage media (CD-R) but also for DVDs, there are further excess capacities at the producers. An enhanced propensity to invest and a demand for inspection systems resulting from that is only to be expected as of the third quarter. The recovery of the core business connected with that will be strengthened through the further positive prospects for the younger business divisions Machine Vision Components, Display Inspection and Web Inspection. The significance of the new business divisions will further increase within the course of this year. The diversification strategy pursued is obviously taking hold and will pay off in the mid-term. Further information: Christian Höck – Investor Relations Tel. ++49 (0)4102 – 463 175 christian.hoeck@baslerweb.com Basler AG An der Strusbek 60-62 22926 Ahrensburg ——————————————————————————– WKN: 510 200; Index: Listed: Neuer Markt in Frankfurt; Freiverkehr in Berlin, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, München und Stuttgart 162019 Mai 01