LPKF Hits the Upper Range of Its Q3 Targets

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LPKF Laser & Electronics AG generated a Group revenue of EUR 86.8 million in the first nine months of 2022, an increase of 44 % compared to the previous year. An EBIT of EUR 2.5 million was reached following a loss of EUR 5.2 million in the previous year. In the third quarter, revenue increased by 31% year-on-year to EUR 31.3 million, slightly above the forecast and with an EBIT of EUR 0.8 million which is in the upper range of the guidance.

Incoming orders year-to-date stand at EUR 73.1 million (YTD 2021: € 89.6). However, this amount does not yet include any major project orders from the Solar segment. Orders on hand as of September 30, 2022, stand at EUR 48.8 million, of which around EUR 30 million are due for delivery in the current fiscal year.

Christian Witt, CFO of the LPKF Group, says: "We have achieved our targets in the first three quarters despite the challenging environment and remain confident in our forecast for FY 2022. We have largely been able to mitigate supply chain interruptions and secure delivery to our customers as planned. We are well prepared to continue on this path."

Despite a challenging macroeconomic environment, LPKF continues to make progress in its business and corporate development. LPKF just launched the Laser Transfer Printing (LTP) technology on the tradeshow glasstec in Düsseldorf. LTP is a digital printing solution for ceramic inks, colors can be transferred to flat glass with unprecedented precision. The Tensor technology recently introduced this year has already recorded significant incoming orders, and the first LIDE deliveries for applications in the display backplane sector have begun.

Dr. Klaus Fiedler comments on the progress in the current fiscal year: "I am pleased that we continued our positive trend and that our technologies and solutions are getting good market traction. This is evident in many areas of our core business as well as in our growth areas LIDE and ARRALYZE. We are making progress in gradually moving into high-volume application areas with a stronger customer focus and sustained partnerships."

In ARRALYZE, delivery of the first systems to Beta customers will begin in the fourth quarter as planned. In addition, ARRALYZE has already been able to establish funding for the research of innovative medical technology as part of a consortium in a research project for the prevention and care of epidemically occurring infections by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Outlook
Against the backdrop of the current political and economic environment, the ability to plan and predict the development of LPKF's business is significantly limited. The Management Board narrows its outlook for the full year 2022 and expect Group revenues of EUR 117 million - EUR 127 million and an EBIT margin between 2 % and 7 %.

Based on the information given at the Capital Markets Day in September 2022, LPKF reaffirms the market potential of its technologies and remains confident to its growth prospects in the existing core businesses as well as within the new business initiative LIDE and ARRALYZE. In the medium term, LPKF’s aspiration is to achieve attractive growth in its core business, a low triple-digit million-euro revenue for its new business initiatives, and an attractive double-digit EBIT margin.