DGAP-News

M.A.X. Automation Group right on track to start the year 2015 - Seite 2

33.0%, the equity ratio was still above the minimum mark of 30% which
the company had set for itself.

Development of the segments
In the Industrial Automation segment, revenue declined by 8.7% from EUR
48.9 million to EUR 44.6 million as expected due to the start-up of new
projects and the process-related temporarily lower capacity utilization
that this caused for the segment companies. The company expects to achieve
significantly higher capacity utilization in the subsequent quarters.
Segment EBIT before PPA amortization improved by EUR 0.8 million to EUR 0.7
million compared to the same quarter of last year.

The business in the Environmental Technology segment also performed better
than initially expected in the first three months of the year. Revenue rose
by 26.7% to EUR 30.6 million (Q1 2014: EUR 24.2 million). Segment EBIT
before PPA amortization improved by around EUR 3.0 million to EUR 1.9
million. This significant improvement in earnings was mainly the result of
the higher sales of the Group company Vecoplan AG while fixed costs
remained unchanged. Furthermore, currency effects and optimization measures
also had a positive impact on earnings. In addition, Vecoplan AG acquired
the remaining shares in Vecoplan LLC in the USA. Direct operational control
of this company as part of our successful business in North America is
therefore now possible.

Switch to the Prime Standard completed
M.A.X. Automation AG completed the switch from the General Standard to the
Prime Standard segment of the German Stock Exchange that it had announced
earlier on April 1, 2015. The company thus now meets the highest
requirements for publicity and transparency and therefore makes itself more
accessible to a broader investor base.

Framework contracts in the automotive field
M.A.X. Automation signed two framework contracts with a well-known
automotive manufacturer and a leading supplier to the automotive industry
in April 2015. These contracts have a total volume of around EUR 50 million
and will have an impact on order intake and sales up until the years 2018
and 2020.


Outlook for financial year 2015
The Management Board considers the positive business trend in the first
quarter of 2015 and the dynamic development of orders to be a good basis
for achieving the objectives for the current year. Considering the current
Group portfolio, the Management Board confirms its forecasts of Group
revenue of between EUR 360 million and EUR 380 million and Group earnings