Gurit reports net sales of CHF 178 million for the first half-year 2015. This represents an increase of 6.5% in reported Swiss francs. Strong product demand, in particular in the wind energy business, led to favourable sales growth and also translated into a significantly improved profitability.
Operating profit for the period improved to CHF 15.8 million or 8.9% of net sales. . Material sales to wind energy customers grew by 13.1% (currency-adjusted: 18.5%) in the first six months of 2015. Main growth driver was the well-balanced core materials product offering. The lower sales of wind energy prepreg sales due to a program ending 2014 could be more than offset by other products. In Tooling, sales of wind turbine blade moulds and related equipment in the first six months of 2015 increased by 4.4 percent to CHF 26.3 million (1HY 2014: 25.2 million). The company expects net sales for the full year 2015 to amount to around CHF 350 million, representing a growth of some 4% over the 2014 financial year. The operating profit margin for the full year 2015 is expected to double versus 2014 and to come in at the company`s reported mid-term target of eight to ten percent.
