For full-year 2012, Riber S.A. of Bezons, France, which manufactures molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) systems as well as evaporation sources and effusion cells, has reported revenue was €27.4m, down 5% on 2011’s €29m but up on 2010’s €20.7m. At the end of December, the regional breakdown of Riber’s revenue was 42% Europe (including Russia), 42% Asia, and 16% the American continent.
Most recently, fourth-quarter 2012 revenue was €10.7m, up only slightly on €10.5m a year ago but up 20% on €7.3m in Q3/2012. Growth was driven by sales of systems to research laboratories.
Full-year sales of Systems rose from 10 invoiced and delivered in 2011 to 17 in 2012 (including a record 15 systems delivered to research laboratories). Systems revenue was hence €19.4m, up 68% on 2011’s €11.5m.
The growth in MBE system business has offset a decline in sales of Evaporation sources & Cells of 83%, from €12m in 2011 to just €2.1m in 2012, due to low investments in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) production.
Revenue from Services & Accessories, supported by a commercial recovery plan launched at the end of 2011, are up 9% from €5.4m in 2011 to €5.9m in 2012. Riber says that this confirms the upturn in business during second-half 2012, despite the difficult economic climate.
At the end of 2012, Riber’s order book amounted to €12.1m, down 38% on €19.4m a year earlier. Orders for Evaporation sources & Cells are from €0.6m to €0.2m However, the drop is largely due to Systems orders of €10.1m being down 42% from €17.4m a year ago. Nevertheless, in fourth-quarter 2012 Riber recorded orders for three systems for research laboratories in the USA and Austria. The order book includes 11 MBE research systems to be delivered in 2013. Services & Accessories business continues to show an upward trend, rising 21% from €1.4m to €1.7m.
Riber notes that its earnings for full-year 2012 will be released on 4 April.
