03/12/2013 15:04:00 CET
- The positive trend in orders received in 2013 continues: Order backlog doubled compared to previous year’s beginning to roughly EUR 128 million
- Manz is profiting from the successful transfer of technology and a strong market position in the booming Asian market for smart phones and tablet computers
Manz AG, one of the world’s leading high-tech engineering companies with an extensive technology portfolio covering the strategic divisions “Display”, “Solar” and “Battery”, has been awarded further follow-up orders at its Display division worth a total of around EUR 24 million. These orders are for systems and equipment for the manufacture of touch panel displays and other components for smart phones and tablet computers. The revenues will be reflected in income and earnings in the second and third quarters of the current financial year. These orders represent a further continuation of the highly successful development in order income in the company’s Display division. The order backlog now stands at roughly EUR 128 million – more than twice the value at the beginning of last year. The flow of incoming orders also underscores the success of Manz’s diversification strategy and its strong market position in this segment.
Dieter Manz, CEO of Manz AG, sees this as confirmation of the corporate strategy: “In recent years we have made substantial investments in the ongoing development of our products as well as our company’s strategic positioning. These investments are now paying off. Thanks to the modular structure of our products, we are able to rapidly transfer technologies to other industry sectors and consistently exploit market opportunities. With these latest follow-up orders, our strategy of diversification has again borne fruit. The outlook for the current financial year has now considerably improved. With our Solar business segment accounting for significantly below 5% of order backlog, the persistent investment restraint in the solar industry will have only a very minor impact on our company’s development in 2013.”
The equipment ordered is based on the extensive technology portfolio of Manz AG. In addition to the wet chemical plants produced by Manz Taiwan, the orders also include laser process technologies and automation solutions originally developed for the production of crystalline solar cells. The company has succeeded in adapting these without major technological modifications for applications in the flat panel display industry. This further underscores the ability of Manz AG to utilise its core skills in automation, laser processes, wet-chemical processes, metrology, vacuum coating and screen printing to exploit new opportunities in the fast growing market for smart phones and tablet computers. As a result, the company is more than able to compensate for the persistent weakness in the solar industry and make efficient use of available engineering and production capacities at its sites in Germany and Asia. In addition to the transfer of technologies between industry sectors, Manz is profiting in particular from its outstanding technological expertise in wet-chemical equipment for the manufacture of LCD displays and touch panels. With more than 2,000 systems already installed, the subsidiary company Manz Taiwan is the market leader in this field in the growth markets of Taiwan and China, while its client roster includes all major manufacturers in this region. Surveys point to a sustained dynamic momentum in the market for mobile devices with touch panels, such as, for example, smart phones and tablet computers. This is underscored by the fact that all major manufacturers are making increasing use of touch panel displays in a growing number of their products. Thanks to this market development, the Display division has become Manz AG’s top-selling business unit with excellent potential for additional growth in revenue.
