Composite material maker Gurit sales up 17.8% in Q1 2013

April 10, 2013 - Switzerland

Gurit achieved in the first three months of 2013 net sales of CHF 60.8 million. This represents a decline of 36.5% against the respective strong, prior-year period. The growing material sales into new industrial markets could not yet offset the shortfalls in sales to the wind energy market, which suffers from still very low activity in Asia and a slow recovery from the poor Q4 2012 levels in the USA. The Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held at Pfäffikon/SZ confirmed all proposals formulated by the Board of Directors.

Composite Materials
Gurit achieved in Q1 2013 net sales of CHF 52.9 million (Q1 2012: CHF 89.6 million) with customers in the traditionally supplied materials markets of Wind Energy, Aerospace, Rail and Marine and the growing broad industrial market. Gurit achieved a 17.8% sales increase with material supplies for Industrial and Marine purposes; sales to Aerospace and Rail customers remained almost stable. Sales achieved in the Wind Energy market declined due to low demand in Asia, stable sales in Europe and the slow recovery in the USA where the production tax credits were only renewed at year-end 2012.

Composite Systems and Engineering
Gurit reports for Q1 2013 net sales of CHF 7.9 million (Q1 2012: CHF 6.2 million) from engineering services and the manufacture of finished parts, systems and tools. Sales of finished automotive car body parts made from carbon fibre prepregs rose by 126.6% compared with Q1 2012. Systems and components for other industries increased 12.6%. The demand for moulds for wind rotor blades is still very low.

Gurit:
The companies of Gurit Holding AG, Wattwil/Switzerland, are specialised on the development and manufacture of advanced composite materials, related technologies and select finished parts and components. The comprehensive product range comprises fibre reinforced prepregs, structural core products (man-made materials and balsa wood), gel coats, adhesives, resins and consumables.

Gurit supplies global growth markets with composite materials on the one hand and composite tooling equipment, structural engineering and select finished parts on the other. The global Group has production sites and offices in Switzerland, Germany, the UK, Canada, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Ecuador, Brazil, India and China.