Garbsen, 14 November 2017 - The business development of LPKF Laser & Electronics AG picked up momentum in the third quarter of the current year. Consolidated revenue for the first nine months increased by 17% year-on-year to EUR 71 million, with an EBIT of EUR 0.1 million.

Incoming orders for the first nine months were up 19% on the same period of the previous year, while orders on hand increased by 64% to EUR 47 million. The book-to-bill ratio amounted to 1.3, indicating that the Company has returned to its growth path. Free cash flow was also positive at EUR 1.9 million.

The third quarter saw strong incoming orders from the solar industry. The Management Board expects all four segments to record year-on-year growth in revenue and incoming orders across the year as a whole. According to Kai Bentz, the Spokesman of the Management Board, cause for concern is the development of profitability in the ElectronicsQuipment segment and the resulting increase in the break-even at Group level. "We are working intensively to improve the product mix with high-margin products," he explains. 

LIDE, a technique newly developed by LPKF for glass drilling and cutting, has been nominated for the Innovation Award at the Productronica trade fair, which is currently being held in Munich. Electronics manufacturers are increasingly seeing the LIDE technique as a solution for the economical machining of ultra-thin glass. The decision on the winner of the Innovation Award will be announced today at http://www.productronica.com/press/newsroom/index.html.

Bentz adds: "Following two years of losses, we have every confidence that we will achieve the turnaround to profitable growth this year. Our efforts in all areas are geared towards achieving improved profitability and an increased return on the capital employed."

The Management Board is defining its forecast for the 2017 financial year in greater detail. It is now anticipating revenue at the upper end of the announced range of EUR 92-100 million and an EBIT margin in the lower half of the expected range of 1-5% for 2017 as a whole. Important for achieving the EBIT target is the scheduled delivery of the solar systems at the end of the year.

The Company is aiming to continue increasing its revenue and earnings in the coming years. In the medium term, the Management Board intends to return to generating EBIT margins of at least 10% while achieving a significant improvement in ROCE.

About LPKF
LPKF Laser & Electronics AG is a specialist for the manufacturing of laser systems for micro material processing and is a global leader in numerous fields. Formed in 1976, the Company has its head office in Garbsen near Hanover and is globally active via subsidiaries and representative offices. The shares of LPKF Laser & Electronics AG are listed on the Prime Standard segment of Deutsche Börse (ISIN 0006450000).


Contact:
Bettina Schäfer, Department Manager Group Communication & Investor Relations