LPKF Laser & Electronics AG today announced that it has downgraded its revenue and earnings forecast for the current financial year. Due to the fact that the order intake in the LDS business has been significantly lower than expected – a situation that continued in the second quarter of 2015 – the company now considers itself unable to reach the originally forecast revenue and earnings targets. For 2015, LPKF now anticipates revenue in the range of EUR 90 million to EUR 110 million (previously: EUR 128 million to EUR 136 million). The company needs revenue of just under EUR 100 million to break even.
The currently weak business with laser direct structuring (LDS) systems stems from surplus capacity at antenna manufacturers that arose as a consequence of the strong sales of LDS systems in the years 2010 to 2013. LPKF nevertheless believes that the demand for new LDS systems will pick up again in the medium term. The company expects that entirely new antenna technologies (such as MIMO, additional bandwidths) and applications outside of smartphone antennas will provide new momentum.
Apart from LDS, LPKF's other product groups are, on the whole, developing in line with expectations. Despite the current weakness of the LDS business, the Management Board anticipates profitable growth again in the coming years. All trends in electronics production point toward increased use of high-precision laser technology. The forecast for 2016 and subsequent years is being reviewed at present and will be published on November 11 together with the quarterly financial report.
The shares of LPKF Laser & Electronics AG are listed on the TecDAX index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ISIN 0006450000).
About LPKF
Established in 1976, LPKF Laser & Electronics manufactures milling machines and laser systems used in circuit board and microelectronics fabrication, medical technology, the automotive sector, and the production of solar cells. LPKF’s worldwide headquarters is located in Hannover, Germany and its North American headquarters resides near Portland, Oregon.