Hönle: Good Start to the New Financial Year with Doubling Result

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Gräfeling/München (euro adhoc) - The Hönle Group had a good start
into the new financial year with 30.1 % sales growth to EUR 7,281.
The positive sales development and the optimised expense situation
led to a remarkable improvement of results: The operating result
(EBIT) rose by 118.2 % to 1,381 TEUR. The Earnings before tax (EBT)
climbed 98.5 % to 1,562 TEUR. Net income for the period rose even
more strongly: It improved by 139.4 % to 1.123 TEUR; this corresponds
to earnings per share of EUR 0.20 (PY: EUR 0.09). The positive
earnings development also led to a marked improvement in margins; in
the first quarter of financial year 2007/2008, the EBIT margin was
19.0 %, after 11.3 % in the previous year; net profit on sales
reached 15.4 % compared with 8.4 % in the previous year. UV inkjet
printing contributed substantially to this growth; in the first
quarter, Hönle sold significantly more dryers in the growth market
for inkjet print applications than in the previous year. Sales of UV
dryers for coating applications also rose significantly. The
published figures of the first quarter don't include the acquisitions
of Panacol AG and PrintConcept GmbH yet. The acquisitions will effect
to the 1 January 2008.

Outlook: The business market environment for UV technology is
positive at present despite the global economic turbulence; in the
first quarter, Hönle succeeded in increasing sales perceptibly in
comparison with the previous year, even in the recession-prone USA.
In February 2008, the Hönle Group´s incoming and orders on hand are
far above the previous year´s level. The Hönle Group is striving to
achieve a 60 % sales increase for the current financial year, and a
40 % rise in the operating result (EBIT). This planned highly dynamic
development is based on both Hönle´s organic growth in the offset
printing and inkjet printing segments, in particular, and on the
integration of the two companies acquired in December 2007, Panacol
and PrintConcept, including the pertaining synergy effects. The
acquisition of Panacol will enable Hönle to broaden its adhesives
product portfolio that had previously been concentrated at the
Wellomer subsidiary through several well known and well-established
brands. This permits a stronger combination of adhesives and
equipment as an adhesives system, and this will increase the efficacy
of the marketing activities of both companies, underline Hönle´s
position as a systems provider on the market and, at the same time,
provide for new sales opportunities. The already successful business
development in offset printing in the first quarter will gain even
more momentum after acquisition of the majority in PrintConcept.
Today, the new subsidiary is already directly supplying a number of
printing machine manufacturers in the offset printing segment, and
can now facilitate Hönle´s access to providers in this market.
Together with Hönle, PrintConcept will be able to realise projects of
a magnitude that it had not been able to manage alone. The Hönle
Group therefore expects a marked rise in revenues and earnings in
this large market segment in the future.

About the acquisitions Panacol AG and PrintConcept GmbH: In the first
quarter of 2007/2008, the Hönle Group expanded its competitive
position as a systems provider in the UV market substantially through
two corporate acquisitions. In December 2007, and with effect from 1
January 2008, it acquired all shares in the Swiss company Panacol AG,
an internationally active provider in the growth market for
industrial adhesives. Panacol has three important business locations
in France, Germany, and Switzerland, and earned annual sales revenue
of about EUR 14 million in 2007 with approximately 70 employees. This
acquisition enables Hönle to significantly expand both its product
range and customer base in the adhesives segment. Panacol has a broad
product portfolio that extends from UV-reactive epoxides and
acrylates through to structural adhesives and conductive adhesives to
instant adhesives and silicons. In addition, the company markets UV
equipment, dosing systems and hot bar soldering machines. Through the
Panacol take-over, Hönle increases the proportion of recurring
revenues in the form of consumer goods in total sales, and thus makes
itself more independent of cyclical fluctuations in the investment
goods segment. In December 2007 Hönle also signed a purchase
agreement concerning the acquisition of 70 % of the shares in
PrintConcept GmbH, Köngen, near Stuttgart, with effect as from 1
January 2008. The purchase agreement includes further share
acquisitions of 10 % at the beginning of 2009, 2010 and 2011,
respectively. PrintConcept develops, produces and markets high
quality UV systems mainly for the graphic industry. The company earns
sales revenue of approximately EUR 3.5 million. This take-over serves
the Hönle Group´s aim of expanding its market position in the
business with offset printing machine producers. Through the
acquisition of PrintConcept, Hönle already substantially increased
its market share, in particular in the rotary offset printing
segment.

end of announcement euro adhoc
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ots Originaltext: Dr. Hönle AG
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Further inquiry note:

Peter Weinert

+49 89 85608 173

Branche: Instrument Engineering
ISIN: DE0005157101
WKN: 515710
Index: CDAX, Prime All Share, Technologie All Share
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