Kontron AG announces further revenue record in 2011 and stable 2012 outlook

As a consequence, 2011 revenue exceeded the forecast, and profitability reflects Kontron AG's robust development in a difficult environment. Operating earnings were also up by around 40 % when adjusting for the one-off special effects connected with the Malaysia activities. The dividend will be held at EUR 0.20 per share to allow shareholders to participate directly in this pleasing trend. Kontron AG shareholders can thereby count on a dividend yield that is equivalent to 3.9 % of the 2011 year-end closing price of the company's share.

Kontron AG aims to continue on its growth path in 2012. In this context, Kontron is diversified to an extent hardly matched by any competitor worldwide given its offering of embedded computer systems and solutions for applications in the meanwhile seven sectors of industrial automation, energy, transportation, telecommunications, infotainment, medical technology, and security & defense. Kontron will focus on the higher-margin systems and solutions areas in the future. The sale of the production plants of the Malaysian subsidiary KDMS to strategic partner Plexus Corp. in January 2012 formed an important step as part of this focusing.

Given the economic and business environment, Kontron is retaining its forecast for 2012 that it issued at the start of this year. Public-sector entities around the world are important buyers of Kontron's embedded computer products. Kontron anticipates moderate business progress in the first half of the year given the difficult financial circumstances surrounding many state budgets. At the same time, management expects significant positive impulses in the second half of 2012. Kontron assumes its 2012 revenue to remain at the previous year's level (EUR 574 million on an adjusted basis), with a potential variance of +/-3 % . The EBIT margin should also rise. Kontron has created good preconditions for further growth given a renewed improvement in its financial structure in 2011: an equity ratio of 63.7 % (2010: 62.2 % ), equity of EUR 333.6 million (2010: EUR 320.8 million), and EUR 31.6 million of operating cash flow (2010: EUR 16.2 million).