2013 financial year completed in line with adjusted expectations / revenue up 16.0 percent to € 105.2 million / EBIT margin reaches 4.4 percent / dividend 20 cents per share / drive to increase revenue share from outside printing industry making good progress

The revenue total for the technotrans Group reached € 105.2 million in the past financial year, representing growth of 16.0 percent compared with the previous year (€ 90.7 million). This increase was driven first and foremost by the takeover of KLH Kältetechnik GmbH and the additional revenue contributions from the new markets. The printing industry, on the other hand – still technotrans’ most important sales market – again performed more weakly than expected in the past financial year. In consequence, revenue of € 105.2 million ultimately came in merely at the bottom end of the target range for the year as a whole (€ 110 million, +/- 5 percent). Overall, EBIT for the 2013 financial year reached € 4.6 million compared with € 5.4 million in the previous year (-13.6 percent). This represents an EBIT margin of 4.4 percent. As a result, the earnings target for 2013 (EBIT margin of 6 to 7 percent) defined at the start of the financial year was not achieved.

“The process of tapping new sales markets with the goal of accelerating organic growth made good progress in 2013. Even if revenues in this area do not yet meet our expectations, we were again able to access a large number of new customers in the course of the year and have increased our business volume with existing customers. All that makes us very confident and is an encouragement for us to continue pursuing our chosen course over the next few years,” explained Henry Brickenkamp, Spokesman of the Board of Management of technotrans AG. “In the 2013 financial year we achieved our goal of increasing our revenue share from outside the printing industry to 30 percent. Following the takeover of Termotek AG in 2011, we have thus added considerable breadth to our presence in the growing market of the laser industry with the acquisition of KLH.”

The net profit for the 2013 financial year is € 3.0 million, equivalent to a rate of return of 2.9 percent (previous year 3.4 percent). Earnings per share outstanding consequently came to € 0.47. The Board of Management and Supervisory Board will propose to the Shareholders’ Meeting in May 2014 that a dividend of € 0.20 per share outstanding be distributed.

“This brings us much closer to our future goal of distributing 50 percent of the consolidated net profit, provided no current investment requirements or major acquisitions stand in the way of using financial resources in this way,” declared Dirk Engel, Finance Director of technotrans AG.

The number of employees in the technotrans Group increased from 662 to 777 in the course of 2013.

The segments
The Technology segment benefited considerably from the takeover of the KLH companies und achieved revenue of € 66.0 million (previous year € 53.7 million, representing 22.8 percent growth. On the other hand print business receded throughout the year and the anticipated revival in demand for printing presses in the second half failed to materialise.

The Technology segment was unable to carry the previous year’s improvement in profitability over into the 2013 financial year. While the renewed fall in revenue from the printing industry adversely affected profit contributions, so far the investment in accessing new sales markets has not produced an adequate counterbalancing effect. The amortisation of intangible assets to the tune of € 0.7 million in connection with the acquisition of KLH also diminished the return for the segment last year. Overall, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) for the Technology segment thus deteriorated year on year from € -0.8 million to € -1.8 million.

Revenue for the Services segment again developed well in the 2013 financial year. The 6.2 percent growth to € 39.2 million (previous year € 36.9 million) is attributable in part to business expansion following the takeover of KLH. One of the key factors in this development was again the subsidiary gds AG, which provides services, software and translations.

The Services segment profited from the slight revenue growth and improved its result by 5.7 percent to € 6.4 million (€ 6.1 million). This represents an EBIT margin of 16.5 percent, virtually unchanged from the previous year. The overall financial performance in the Services segment again proved to be very stable.

Financial position
technotrans is able to present a strong balance sheet at the reporting date: the equity ratio reached 59.9 percent, cash and cash equivalents came to € 16.7 million and the group’s net liquidity, in other words interest-bearing liabilities less cash and cash equivalents, stayed positive at € 0.9 million.

On the basis of net income for the year of € 3.0 million (previous year € 3.1 million), the cash flow from operating activities before working capital changes totalled € 7.6 million (previous year € 8.8 million). The changes in working capital had a negative cash flow effect of around € 3.4 million. The reduction in liabilities had an especially high impact on liquidity over the course of the year. Net cash from operating activities amounted to € 2.7 million (previous year € 11.0 million). The net cash employed for investing activities came to € 6.1 million in 2013. This includes cash outflows of € 3.3 million for the acquisition of the interest in KLH Kältetechnik GmbH and its sister companies, and € 0.8 million for a conditional purchase price component (earn-out) for Termotek AG. The free cash flow was therefore negative at € -3.4 million (previous year € 13.2 million). The net cash employed for financing activities came to € 1.6 million (previous year € -7.2 million). Cash and cash equivalents at year-end came to € 16.7 million, only € 2.0 million down on the prior-year level (previous year € 18.7 million).

New markets
technotrans’ activities in new markets will again contribute to its organic growth in the 2014 financial year. In many areas, laser technology is redefining the benchmark for industrial production. Through its corporate alliance, technotrans has now successfully established itself as a full-line supplier in the market for laser cooling. Thanks to its global corporate structure, including its international service locations, the technotrans Group is able to offer a comprehensive range of products and services.

In 2013 technotrans was again able to demonstrate how successfully it accomplishes the technological transfer of core skills from the printing industry to other sectors. New applications include the cooling of battery systems and the self-developed “spray.xact” spray lubrication system for stamping and forming technology. This product is based on mechatronic valve technology that technotrans already uses very effectively for performing spraying functions in the printing press industry. By refining it for this specific application, it has succeeded in developing a new, market-ready generation that achieves precise, economical oil coatings for forming technology.

Project activities in other interesting areas of application such as scanner and medical technology are also being stepped up. Medical technology is fundamentally seen as offering huge potential for growth, especially in China; technotrans has made a concerted effort to become involved in new project activities there.

Outlook
At the start of 2014 the indications are that there will be a moderate economic development. technotrans has good prospects of making the new financial year a success through its own efforts. The technotrans Group is likely to achieve a further slight increase in revenue in 2014.

“Our goal is for the technotrans Group to achieve revenue of € 110 million in the 2014 financial year (plus/minus 5 percent). Having already envisaged that level for the past financial year, given the underlying situation we consider this goal to be realistic; an improvement in the business climate would prompt us to review our targets,” said Henry Brickenkamp. “An improvement in the business climate would prompt us to review our targets.”

By continuing to implement its growth strategy systematically, technotrans will be in a position to develop much more independently of the wider economic environment. In future, too, technotrans intends to continue seizing appropriate opportunities to accelerate the company’s growth through further acquisitions.

 “We are planning to achieve an EBIT margin of between 4 and 6 percent for the group on the basis of the anticipated revenue volume, assuming business progresses as expected,” commented Dirk Engel. “We expect to see a further improvement in the group companies’ profitability. Synergy potential identified in the course of KLH’s integration will continue to have a positive impact on the profit performance. Earnings will ultimately be determined to a great extent by the volume of revenue.”

Download: The full Annual Report 2013 can be downloaded under Investor Relations-Financial Reports.