SUSS MicroTec meets guidance for the 2023 financial year based on preliminary, unaudited figures
Garching, February 29, 2024 – SÜSS MicroTec SE, a leading manufacturer of system and process solutions for the semiconductor industry, reports preliminary and unaudited financial figures for the past financial year 2023.
SUSS MicroTec achieved a new record level of order intake in the 2023 fiscal year. On the basis of continuing operations, i.e. excluding the MicroOptics business, order intake amounted to € 420.5 million (previous year: € 411.0 million). "In the fourth quarter, we achieved the highest order intake in the Company's history with orders worth € 139.3 million," says Burkhardt Frick, CEO of SÜSS MicroTec SE. In particular, orders with a total value of around € 130 million for temporary bonders, targeted to increase capacity for microchips in AI applications, contributed to the strong order development in the second half of the year. The order backlog of continuing operations as at December 31, 2023 amounted to € 452.5 million and also reached a new record level (December 31, 2022: € 335.4 million).
Sales from continuing operations increased by 17.0% year-on-year to € 304.3 million (previous year: € 260.0 million; last forecast: € 280 to 320 million). In absolute terms, the fourth quarter stood out with sales of € 101.9 million. This has also been further supported by the relaxed and normalised delivery situation for China-bound tools since mid-November. Previously, deliveries to Chinese customers had been significantly delayed since August due to increased documentation and inspection efforts and simultaneous processing bottlenecks at the German customs and export control authorities.
At 34.1% (previous year: 38.7%), the gross profit margin from continuing operations reached the lower end of the most recent forecast range of 34 to 36% and was affected by an unfavourable product mix and expenses to increase production capacity due to the continued very positive order momentum. "We have expanded our production capacity in Taiwan for the manufacturing of temporary bonders. We are also continuing to work intensively on qualifying production partners to build modules for our tools," says Dr. Thomas Rohe, Chief Operating Officer at SUSS MicroTec.
EBIT from continuing operations totalled € 27.8 million and was € 3.7 million below the previous year's figure of € 31.5 million due to increased expenses for research and development as well as transformation costs. The EBIT margin of 9.1% (previous year: 12.1%) was slightly above the mid-point of the most recent forecast range of 7 to 11%. With an EBIT margin of 14.6%, the final quarter was the most profitable quarter of the past year.
Consolidated net income for the 2023 financial year amounted to € 4.7 million (previous year: € 24.5 million). The decline was due to the result from discontinued operations of € -12.6 million. This included a negative result from the MicroOptics division and recognised expenses of € 4.4 million from the sale of the subsidiary SUSS MicroOptics S.A., which was completed in January 2024. "As a result of the sale, we received proceeds totalling € 75 million in January. This significantly improves our financial situation in order to support further targeted growth in our core business," says Dr. Cornelia Ballwiesser, CFO of SÜSS MicroTec SE. Subject to subsequent purchase price adjustments, the company expects to generate an extraordinary income of around € 58 million from the transaction in the 2024 financial year.
SUSS MicroTec will publish the annual report with the full and audited financial figures for the 2023 financial year as planned on 27 March 2024.
Media contact:
Sven Köpsel
Vice President Investor Relations, Corporate Communications and Corporate Marketing
E-Mail: sven.koepsel@suss.com
Tel.: +49 89 32007151
About SUSS MicroTec
SUSS MicroTec is a leading supplier of equipment and process solutions for microstructuring in the semiconductor industry and related markets. In close cooperation with research institutes and industry partners SUSS MicroTec contributes to the advancement of next-generation technologies such as 3D Integration and nanoimprint lithography as well as key processes for MEMS and LED manufacturing. With a global infrastructure for applications and service SUSS MicroTec supports more than 8.000 installed systems worldwide. SUSS MicroTec is headquartered in Garching near Munich, Germany. The shares of SUSS MicroTec SE are traded in the Prime Standard of the German Stock Exchange (ISIN DE000A10K0235). For more information, please visit http://www.suss.com.
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