EQS-Adhoc

Von Roll Holding AG: Annual result for 2014 - Seite 2

in Dunstable, England, was closed in December 2014. In the meanwhile, Von
Roll has optimised its production setup in India, concentrating all
manufacturing output at a modern plant in Nelamangala, near Bangalore,
working at full capacity. The other two sites will be cleared and sold. In
the USA, the Monmouth Junction plant will be fully incorporated into the
Schenectady site by April 2015.

These measures will improve capacity utilisation and efficiency,
significantly reducing their share of fixed costs. The initiatives
introduced and the implementation of the company's strategy will also
continue in 2015 in line with plans and will already begin to have an
impact in the current financial year, 2015. At the same time, investments
are being made in new state-of-the art, high-performance machinery and
equipment.

Adjusted for the one-off effects totalling CHF 31.4 million, the negative
EBIT of CHF 32.5 million would only have been slightly negative. These
non-recurring effects include restructuring costs incurred due to closing
the above-mentioned plants.

Despite these effects, the gross margin increased in Insulation and
Composites, both core areas of business. This is a key indicator of future
business.

Apart from plant optimisation, the focus is on market development. In the
core business, investments have been made in research and development, new
applications and the launch of new products.

The outlook for 2015 remains modest. There are three main reasons for this:
firstly, the full effect of the transformation programme will not yet be
felt and, secondly, the market trend is expected to be subdued. Weak demand
is an issue, particularly in traditional power generation sectors, such as
hydropower and thermal power stations. The third reason is the strength of
the Swiss franc in relation to other major currencies, which will impact
the result in 2015 and will pose an additional challenge, especially to
products with high local costs at the Swiss site. The countermeasures which
have already been taken will only have an effect in the medium term.

For further details, please refer to the Annual Report 2014, which can be
downloaded from http://www.vonroll.com/en/financial-reports.html.

Key figures
in CHF 1,000                               2014                      Change
                                                          2013