Dr. Hönle AG: Hönle generated an operating result of €3.7 million in the first six months

Gilching (pta009/12.05.2023/08:20 UTC+2)

At T€ 53,520 sales revenues generated by the Hönle Group in the first six months of financial year 2022/2023 were below the prior year's figure of T€ 60,807. The decline is mainly due to the air disinfection business, in which sales decreased by € 6.3 million year-on-year as the corona pandemic eased off. Total output dropped by 15.8% to T€ 54,205 in the first half of the year. The operating result from continued operations (EBIT) stood at T€ 3,685 (PY: T€ 9,280). It should be noted in this context that the previous year's operating result included non-recurring items from the sale of business premises in the amount of T€ 1,825. This corresponds to an EBIT margin of 6.8% after 14.4% in the previous year. The pre-tax result (EBT) amounted to T€ 3,050, which is 64.4% lower than in the comparable prior-year period. The consolidated result after income taxes came to T€ 2,684 (-50.6%). Earnings per share fell from 0.89 € to 0.43 €.

Outlook

Adhesives Segment

The Management Board expects high-volume adhesives projects in the photovoltaics and electromobility sectors to be realized in the final quarter of the 2022/2023 financial year. These projects will be of great importance for the medium- and long-term performance of the Adhesives segment. The realization of these projects has been delayed due to extensive testing. Promising projects also exist in the areas of consumer electronics and 5G mobile communications networks.

The Management Board has revised the sales strategy in the Adhesives segment. In the future, greater focus will be placed on business areas in which the Company sees its strengths, and which offer corresponding growth potential.

The local staff in application technology is being strengthened for systematically making further inroads into the interesting Chinese market. The lifting of travel restrictions to China, together with the expansion of application technology, will enable more intensive local customer support and a significant increase in sales in this region.

Equipment & Systems Segment

Eltosch Grafix GmbH was merged into Dr. Hönle AG. The merger, which took place retroactively as at 1 October 2022, has several effects: The fusion of the two companies will enable the establishment of a high-performance, uniform service and sales network. In addition, the streamlining of the Group structure is to be driven forward.

To strengthen competitiveness, extensive new developments are being carried out in the current fiscal year, particularly with respect to equipment for adhesive curing. The focus of product development is on performance, operation and design in this context.

In order to be able to identify market developments at an early stage and open up new sales opportunities, the sales team and business development will also be further expanded.

Overall, the Management Board expects business performance in the Equipment & Systems segment to be good due to a continuing strong order backlog and stable demand. Additional stimulus will be provided in the second half of the financial year with the launch of a new product line for the printing machinery industry.

Glass & Systems Segment

The disinfection of water using UV technology is a sustainable growth market. The environmentally-friendly process is increasingly used in the treatment of ballast, drinking, process, and wastewater. The Hönle Group supplies leading manufacturers of water treatment systems with lamps and components. The Management Board expects further increases in sales and operating results in this application area for financial year 2022/2023.

In order to further tap into the interesting market for the treatment of process water, the development and sales capacities are being expanded. Process water is water used in industrial plants to manufacture products.

The end of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt in the air disinfection sector. Sales at uv-technik Speziallampen GmbH in particular are therefore expected to be lower than in the previous year.

Raesch Quarz (Germany) GmbH was sold in December 2022. The sale of this company will lead to sustained positive earnings and liquidity effects at Group level. Overall, the Management Board expects a significant improvement in the segment's annual results in the Glass & Lamps segment, especially due to the sale of Raesch Quarz (Germany) GmbH.

Overall Assessment of Future Business Development

Promising customer projects in all of the three business segments and a strong order backlog provide the basis for positive business development of the Hönle Group. The adjustment of sales prices will contribute to a further improvement in gross profit margins in the course of financial year 2022/2023. In addition, the sale of Raesch Quarz (Germany) GmbH will lead to positive earnings and liquidity effects at Group level.

Based on current knowledge, the Management Board expects sales revenues for the Hönle Group in financial year 2022/2023 to be below the previous year's sales revenues (€ 126.5 million), and the operating result to be significantly above the adjusted operating result of the previous year (€ 8.9 million).

The full half-year report is available at:

https://www.hoenle.com/investor-relation/financial-information#reports

About Hönle

Dr. Hönle AG is a leading provider of industrial UV technology based in Gilching. With 600 employees, the Hönle Group develops innovative solutions for different areas of application. A focus of its business activities is the development and sale of industrial adhesives and casting compounds. Equipment for drying ink and coatings, curing adhesives and plastics, as well as for disinfecting air, water and surfaces and sunlight simulation are also manufactured. In addition, the group of companies produces UV lamps and quartz glass products, among other things for disinfection and drying processes. The Hönle Group supplies technology and global market leaders and is represented by its own companies and partner companies in more than 20 countries.

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Emitter:	Dr. Hönle AG Nicolaus-Otto-Str. 2 82205 Gilching Germany
Contact Person:	Peter Weinert
Phone:	+49 8105 2083 173
E-Mail:	peter.weinert@hoenle.de
Website:	www.hoenle.de
ISIN(s):	DE0005157101 (Share)
Stock Exchange(s):	Regulated Market in Frankfurt; Free Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate