23 January2020

Mikron increases net sales – EBIT at previous year's level

Mikron increases net sales – EBIT at previous year's level

 

The dominant trend facing the Mikron Group in 2019 was a significant fall in demand from the automotive industry from the middle of the year onward. At the same time, though, the Mikron Automation business segment succeeded in leveraging new market opportunities – in the medtech sector in particular. To take future growth in this segment into account, Mikron has decided to expand the Boudry site to include a modern assembly and engineering center.

 

Order intake

At CHF 288.5 million, the Mikron Group posted a 3.4% increase in order intake compared with 2017. Reporting order intake of CHF 288.5 million (-20.4%) in the 2019 business year, the Mikron Group was, as expected, unable to repeat the record order intake achieved in 2018 (CHF 362.3 million) on the strength of large individual orders. The Mikron Automation business segment accounted for CHF 169.2 million of order intake, and the Mikron Machining Solutions business segment CHF 119.4 million.

 

Net sales and order backlog

With annual net sales 4.1% higher at CHF 327.6 million, the Mikron Group again witnessed an improvement on the previous year’s result (CHF 314.7 million). Mikron Automation lifted sales by 14.2% from CHF 155.2 million in 2018 to CHF 177.2 million in 2019, while the Mikron Machining Solutions business segment recorded a 5.5% decrease from CHF 160.3 million to 151.5 million. At CHF 157.4 million, the Group’s year-end order backlog is considerably lower than the record level seen at the close of 2018 (CHF 195.7 million).

 

Profitability

Based on the provisional figures, Mikron is confirming its previous EBIT expectations for the 2019 financial year and is anticipating a figure on a par with the prior year (2018: EBIT CHF 13.9 million, EBIT margin 4.4%).

 

Net result

As communicated earlier, the Mikron Group is expecting higher tax expense than in the previous year. On the basis of the provisional closing figures, it is looking to achieve a net result in the neighborhood of CHF 8 million for 2019 (2018: CHF 12.2 million).

 

Mikron will announce the Group’s detailed closing figures for 2019 at the Media and Analyst Conference in Zurich on March 16, 2020.

 

Preliminary volume figures for the Mikron Group

 

		2019	2018			+/-
CHF million
Order intake		288.5	362.3			-20.4%
- Machining Solutions		119.4	162.2			-26.4%
- Automation		169.2	200.9			-15.8%
Net sales		327.6	314.7			+4.1%
- Machining Solutions		151.5	160.3			-5.5%
- Automation		177.2	155.2			+14.2%
Order backlog		157.4	195.7			-19.6%
- Machining Solutions		38.1	68.0			-44.0%
- Automation		119.4	128.2			-6.9%

 

Media release (PDF) - (PDF, 135 KB) a

12 December2019

Mikron confirms sales and EBIT forecasts for 2019, but expects higher tax expense

Mikron confirms sales and EBIT forecasts for 2019, but expects higher tax expense

Biel, December 12, 2019, 7:00 a.m. - The Mikron Group continues to expect higher sales for 2019 as a whole than for 2018 and EBIT at the previous year's level. Negative tax effects, however, will significantly reduce profit after taxes in 2019.

 

While the Mikron Automation business segment confirms the positive business development, the Mikron Machining Solutions business segment - as already communicated - is significantly affected by the lower demand from the automotive industry. The very different operating results of the individual companies at EBIT level will lead to a higher tax rate at Group level in the 2019 annual financial statements. Since the Mikron Group does not anticipate a short-term recovery in the automotive industry and in the operating results of the companies concerned, the capitalized tax loss carryforwards may also have to be partially written down in the 2019 financial statements. Overall, these tax effects will significantly reduce profit after taxes compared with the previous year.  

Media release (PDF) - (PDF, 65 KB) a

19 November2019

Mikron reduces Machining capacity at Agno site

Mikron reduces Machining capacity at Agno site

Biel, November 19, 2019, 7 a.m. – The Mikron Group is reacting to declining demand for machines from the automotive industry and is making selective adjustments to its headcount in the Mikron Machining division at the Agno site. The measure does not affect innovation projects and the Mikron Machining division’s service business. The two other divisions – Mikron Tool and Mikron Automation – are also not affected. The Group is therefore expecting sales for the 2019 financial year to be higher than in 2018 with EBIT remaining at the same level as in 2018.

 

The Mikron Group is reacting to declining demand for machines from the automotive industry in particular and is reducing capacity in the Mikron Machining division at the Agno site. A 15% reduction in working hours was already introduced there on November 1. As management does not anticipate any early recovery in demand from the automotive sector, Mikron is obliged to reduce its headcount at Mikron SA Agno from the current 370. Unfortunately, this means that around 25 jobs will be cut. Mikron is endeavoring to implement them in a socially acceptable way. Over the past five years, the good order intake enabled Mikron to steadily increase headcount at the Mikron Machining and Mikron Tool divisions in Agno (Mikron SA Agno and Mikron Tool SA Agno) to the current level of just over 500 employees.

 

The market launch and industrialization of the new MultiX machine platform, which won the first innovation prize in the machine tools category at the world’s largest machine tool fair EMO 2019, and the expansion of the service business will be continued as planned without any reductions. At the same time, the machine portfolio will be gradually optimized, additional investments will be made in infrastructure and operating resources for proprietary manufacturing, and the organization will be subsequently geared to using fewer types of machines.

 

The Mikron Tool and Mikron Automation divisions are not affected by this reorientation. Mikron Tool is continuing to expand at the Agno site, and the Automation segment can confirm the encouraging business trend of the first half. Overall, the Mikron Group expects sales for 2019 as a whole to be higher than in 2018 and for EBIT to remain at the previous year's level.

Media release (PDF) - (PDF, 104 KB) a