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SEZ Reports Record Sales and Order Intake for Business Year 2004
- Preliminary 2004 Net Sales of CHF 303 million
- Decline in Order Intake for Fourth Quarter
- Kurt Lackenbucher Appointed to Chief Operating Officer
The SEZ Group (SWX Swiss Exchange: SEZN) expects to post record-level net sales for the business year 2004.
Preliminary 2004 net sales results totaled CHF 303 million, surpassing 2003 net sales by more than 78 percent (2003: CHF 170.1 million). Significantly outperforming overall market growth in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment sector, the SEZ Group has once again expanded its share in the wet chemical wafer cleaning market. Additionally, SEZ set a new record for order intake reaching CHF 309.1 million (2003: 201.6 million). For the business year 2004, the preliminary book-to-bill ratio stood at 1.02, while order backlog at the end of the year was CHF 76.7 million (2003: CHF 70.6 million). As already published, SEZ expects an EBIT margin between 14 and 15 percent for the business year 2004.
Lower order intake in the fourth quarter indicates slower market environment for 2005
During the fourth quarter, the SEZ Group reached preliminary net sales of approximately CHF 74 million. Order intake in the last three months of 2004 declined, corresponding with overall market development. Compared to the previous quarters last year, order intake of CHF 62.4 million was significantly lower. From today's point of view, SEZ expects a revival of order intake by mid-year 2005. Currently, leading market analyst firms are forecasting a decline in the market for semiconductor manufacturing equipment in the range of 5 to 15 percent for the year 2005.
On the positive side, SEZ witnessed continued market acceptance for single-wafer technology, especially for its Da Vinci™ systems. The share of new orders for these systems have again increased—accounting for about 45 percent of total order intake in the fourth quarter
Kurt Lackenbucher appointed to Chief Operating Officer
SEZ Holding Ltd.'s board of directors has appointed Kurt Lackenbucher, age 43, to Chief Operating Officer of SEZ Group as of January 1, 2005. Lackenbucher has been working for SEZ since 1991 in several management positions—most recently serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. He is a graduate of the Austrian Commercial College and holds a master's degree from the University of Klagenfurt (Austria). In addition to Lackenbucher, SEZ Group's Corporate Executive Board includes company founders and Chief Executive Officers, Egon Putzi and Franz Sumnitsch, as well as Chief Financial Officer Sabine Kampitsch.
Quarterly key figures (unaudited)
in CHF million | Q4/04 | Q3/04 | Q4/03 | Order intake | 63.4 | 83.0 | 88.0 | Net sales | 74 * | 83.6 | 62.0 |
* preliminary
Key figures after 12 months (unaudited)
in CHF million | 12/04 | 12/03 | Order intake | 309.1 | 201.6 | Net sales | 303 * | 170.1 | Order backlog (end of December) | 76.7 | 70.6 | Book-to-bill-ratio | 1.02 | 1.19 |
* preliminary
Average exchange rates as of 31 December 2004:
EUR/CHF 1.54425; USD/CHF 1.24353
Upcoming financial dates
06 April 2005
- Presentation of financial results 2004, Zurich
- Press release on preliminary sales and order situation Q1/2005
11 April 2005
- Closing of share register
03 May 2005
- Annual shareholders' meeting, Zurich
- Press release and conference call on Q1 results 2005
* (all upcoming dates are preliminary and subject to change)
About SEZ Group
The SEZ Group is the leading provider of single-wafer, wet-clean processing solutions for the global semiconductor industry, with an installed base of over 850 tools. The company maintains operations in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan and North America. Since 1996, registered shares of SEZ Holding Ltd. have been traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange under the symbol SEZN. Additional information about the company is available on the Internet at www.sez.com.
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