DGAP-News

STRATEC reports on first three months of 2013 - Seite 2

up on the previous year's figure, while earnings per share rose by 3.4% in
the first three months. The tax rate amounted to 17.8% in the first
quarter.

On an unadjusted basis, sales and the EBIT margin for the first quarter of
the previous year (2012) amounted to EUR 28.8 million and 15.1%
respectively.

Initial progress has been made in enhancing the profitability of systems
newly launched onto the market, as stated in the 2012 financial year, and
losses from the individual subsidiaries have reduced further following
completion of the investment programs implemented in 2012.

The company plans to update its forecast for 2013 and subsequent years in
the course of the first half of 2013.


Project development
Additional market launches and approvals of analyzer systems are expected
in the current and coming years. Further development milestones have been
reached to this end. Moreover, measures continue to be implemented to
extend capacities within the company's existing structures.

One of the development and production projects started in 2012 was
contractually finalized and signed in the first quarter of 2013. Further
projects have reached promising stages of negotiation.


Other developments
The volumes of in-vitro-diagnostics tests reported by leading global
laboratory operators give reason to expect only a slow recovery in the
market. The associated share of sales STRATEC generates with service parts
is currently developing stably and has recovered slightly compared with
2012. Our customers' forecasts for analyzer systems continue not to be
affected by government austerity or fiscal policy measures in the Euro or
Dollar regions.

The company's Annual General Meeting will be held in Pforzheim on June 6,
2013. The Board of Management and the Supervisory Board are proposing a
dividend of EUR 0.50 per share for approval by the Annual General Meeting.


Development in staff totals
Including temporary employees, the STRATEC Group had a total of 541
employees as of March 31, 2013 (March 31, 2012: 512). The company's
workforce thus grew by a further 14 employees compared with December 31,
2012.


Outlook
Our ability to issue precise forecasts continues to be limited by several
external factors, such as capacity utilization rates at installed systems,
the timing of further market launches, the planned production ramp-ups for
new systems, further consolidation in the IVD market, and macroeconomic
market factors. Based on the indicators and forecasts available to us, and