Singulus Technologies Aktiengesellschaft
ots Ad hoc-Service: Singulus Technologies AG <DE0007238909> Large Orders again in 2001 after a Decline in Incoming Orders at the End of the Year 2000
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Large Orders again in 2001 after a Decline in Incoming Orders at the End of the Year 2000
SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG, Kahl/Main, announces for the 4th quarter of the year 2000 new orders amounting to 75 million DM (4/1999 = 180 million DM). This means an accumulated order intake of 648.8 million DM for the entire year 2000 (1999 = 669.7 million DM). At the end of last year, the order backlog totalled 300 million DM (1999 = 395 million DM).
Reason for the decline in incoming orders was a reduction in business from Hong Kong and Taiwan, primarily caused by overcapacity among manufacturers of CD-Rs. This indicates that the market trend, which has in the past been characterized by strong and constant growth, will in the long-term be more cyclical. Business in the rest of Asia, in Europe and in the USA, in contrast, continues to be normal.
SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES' particular strength lies in its leading market position in metallizers, CD- and more importantly DVD replication lines, which made up 34 % of the total turnover of 730 million DM in the year 2000. A further large order for DVD lines of more than 25 million DM, which will be placed this week, again underlines the company's leading position in this growing market. The new contract simultaneously represents the sale of the 200th DVD replication line SPACELINE which is by far the best-selling DVD line worldwide.
The current DVD orders are for DVD-Video lines only. In the course of the next few months, SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES expects an impetus for further growth and sales opportunities from the production of DVD-ROM for computer games, as for example the XBOX project from MICROSOFT.
In the new fiscal year 2001 SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES will target for the successful market introduction of the newly developed MODULUS multilayer metallizer for all rewritable discs - especially for the technologically most demanding DVD+-RW/RAM. After the successful installation and acceptance of the first MODULUS in Taiwan at the end of December 2000, SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES is going to add an entire production line called SUNLINE to this product segment this summer. Furthermore, it is part of the company's business strategy to supply the customers not only with hardware, but also with extensive process know-how and thus with turnkey replication systems. The cooperation agreement entered with PIONEER offers the best prerconditions for this strategy.
At present, the entire community of suppliers for optical disc replication equipment is undergoing a consolidation phase. Some competitors have recently discontinued their business activities - some others are presumed to follow. Experience in the past has shown that companies which have reached leading market positions by a product range based on innovation and technological know-how will gain additional market share and will be strengthened by a consolidation of the market.
SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES' overall expectations are optimistic considering the development at the beginning of the first quarter of 2001. Its budgetary goals for 2001 are going to be published at a later date. As in 2000, SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES can in 2001 definitely be expected to rank among the most profitable companies in the Neuer Markt's Nemax 50 again.
Für weitere Informationen wenden Sie sich an:/ For further information, please contact:
Andrea Bach-Landmann, PR and Communications, Phone: +49-6181-990244, FAX: +49-6181-990243, e-mail: a.bl@go-metacom.de
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