After a rather slow start to the 2013 financial year, incoming orders in the first half of 2013 were the strongest they have been in Viscom Groups history. The German mechanical engineering sector in particular continued to feel the impact of investors reluctance and the weak economy linked with it.
However, a trend reversal in customer orders was clearly evident already at the end of the first quarter of 2013. In the first six months of 2013, Viscom received orders totalling 25,281 thousand (previous year: 21,670 thousand). This corresponds to an increase of 16.7 % compared to the previous year.
Viscom maintained its market leadership in Europe. However, Viscom customers in this segment showed reluctance to invest and the slowdown from the previous year continued. In addition, the weak automotive market was especially so in the southern European countries.
The Asia region emerged as an engine of growth for Viscom in the first half of the year and significantly increased the number of incoming orders and Viscoms revenue. Another welcome development is Viscoms strengthening in areas outside the automotive electronics sector, demonstrating the successful realignment of the companys product portfolio in recent years.
In the region of the Americas, demand specifically in the manufacturing of automotive electronics in North America continued in the first half of 2013 after being strong in 2012.Viscom expects business to remain stable in the second half of 2013. The Executive Board is therefore continuing to stick with the published annual guidance and expects revenue growth of around 10 % year on year for the current financial year.
