Markus Nicht, CEO of Photonics Systems Group, reflects on the first half of the 2020 financial year and provides an outlook to the second half of the year:
“Following the acquisition of EPP Electronic Production Partners in November 2019 – which is now the third company of Photonics Systems Group – we continued to build up the Group in the first half of 2020 and utilized the synergies between the individual group members. For example, EPP moved from Gräfelfing to Krailling, joining LS Laser Systems under one roof. In addition, existing InnoLas Solutions business processes were transferred to the group level, which helped to successfully consolidated the internal network.
By acquiring the patents for the circuit trim product portfolio of Electro Scientific Industries, Inc. (ESI), we not only strengthened our position as a manufacturer of laser trim systems, but also expanded our expertise by further developing and protecting our market presence. We were also able to successfully complete numerous innovative, large-scale projects in Germany, Austria and Poland in various key areas of laser micromachining, ranging from depaneling to the processing of large technical glass sheets, and to consolidate our international standing as a group.
Of course, as a global company, we too are clearly feeling the effects of COVID-19. This applies in particular to the drastic restrictions on travel, which mainly affect sales and services. Nevertheless, we are optimistic, as our financial figures have remained largely stable despite the current situation. This is mainly due to the fact that we can install current plant projects with the help of local colleagues, which in turn is thanks to our large international network of on-site employees.
As it stands, we can say that we have overcome the economic crisis up to this point by cutting costs, among other things. We see the fact that we have fully maintained – and in some cases even expanded – our innovative strength as a particularly positive aspect. A large number of new products are currently in development and their market launch is planned for the second half of 2020.
However, we are looking towards the second half of 2020 with a sense of caution, given how unpredictable the current state of affairs is in terms of COVID-19. Despite this, it is clear that customers will be willing to invest as soon as the overall economic situation becomes more stable. This leaves us with a positive outlook on our operating result and a positive financial statement for 2020.”
