Garbsen, 6 February 2019 - LPKF Laser & Electronics AG achieved a consolidated revenue of EUR 120 million for the financial year 2018. This puts the laser specialist at the upper end of its own expectations (EUR 115 million - EUR 120 million) and 18% above its revenue of the previous year (EUR 102.1 million). The fourth quarter of 2018 contributed EUR 32 million to sales.

At EUR 58 million, orders on hand at the end of the year were up 50% on the previous year (EUR 38.8 million). Incoming orders reached EUR 140 million, an increase of 24% over the previous year (EUR 113.2 million). The book-to-bill ratio is thus 1.2. For 2018, the Management Board continues to expect an EBIT margin at the upper end of the forecast range of up to 6 %. 

With regard to the positive business development in the past year and the good order situation LPKF looks to the future with confidence and publishes a new forecast for the financial year 2019 and subsequent years.

Assuming a stable development of the global economy, the Management Board expects a Group-revenue of between EUR 130 million and EUR 135 million and an EBIT margin of between 8% and 12% for the financial year 2019. This corresponds to a ROCE of between 10% and 15%. Based on the current order situation, LPKF expects a strong first quarter of 2019 with revenue between EUR 30 million and EUR 35 million. 

In the following years, the Management Board intends to further increase the profitability of the company and generate a sustainable EBIT margin of more than 12 %.  

The Annual Report 2018 will be published on 26 March 2019.
  Explanation of key figures
EBIT: Earnings before interest and taxes
Book-to-bill ratio: Incoming orders / revenue
EBIT margin: Earnings before interest and taxes / sales x 100
ROCE: Earnings before interest and taxes / Intangible assets + Property, plant and equipment + Inventories + Trade receivables - Advance payments received



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