News

Considerable rise in sales and EBIT – financial result impacted by currency effects

In the first half of 2008 HUBER+SUHNER posted again significantly higher results, expanding its position particularly in the low frequency technology business and fiber optics and recording above average growth rates in the railway, automotive and solar energy market seg-ments. With sales up 13.8% in local currency terms, HUBER+SUHNER remained on track for solid growth. Currency effects and portfolio ad-justments reduced the growth rate reported in Swiss francs to 6.6% compared to the first half of 2007. While sales totalled CHF 386.9 mil-lion, operating profit (EBIT) rose by a pleasing 14.3% to CHF 53.5 mil-lion, resulting in an EBIT margin of 13.8%.
Mainly due to the recalculation of balance sheet positions in foreign currencies, the company recorded currency losses of approximately CHF 10 million compared to currency gains of around CHF 5 million in the previous-year period. As a result, the net income was slightly lo-wer despite the higher operating profit. At CHF 35.6 million, after-tax earnings were CHF 6.7 million lower year-on-year. HUBER+SUHNER expects to close 2008 with sales in the order of CHF 760 million and a further increase in operating profit compared to 2007.

Switching between channels is now easier than ever before. The new RF Power Switch Portfolio from HUBER+SUHNER promises best benefits for customers: RF Power Switch components are small, reliable, powerful, easy to handle, require little maintenance and are therefore cost-effective to use.

Vom 21. Juli bis 2. August 2008 findet in der Linthebene das Bundeslager der Pfadibewegung Schweiz mit 25'000 Teilnehmern statt. Für das IT-Netzwerk, welches die acht Unterlager verbindet und über das diverse Services laufen, stellt HUBER+SUHNER die Komponenten unentgeltlich zur Verfügung. Insbesondere kommt auch die neue und innovative Funkverbindung SL60 zum Einsatz.

This press release has been sent out today:
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, has chosen HUBER+SUHNER as its partner for supplying connectivity systems. Over the next two to three years, the Swiss company HUBER+SUHNER, which specialises in electrical and optical connectivity solutions, will supply specific junction boxes, cables and connectors to Suntech. The total contract is worth CHF 75 million.