Royal DSM says that this performance was delivered against significant adverse foreign exchange rates. As expected, Nutrition experienced in Q1 the continued impact of the market headwinds, which also affected Q4 2013. Materials Sciences was impacted by lower results in caprolactam.
Commenting on the results, Feike Sijbesma, CEO/Chairman of the DSM Managing Board, said: "DSM delivered results in line with expectations, despite further currency deterioration during the quarter. We are pleased to report that market conditions in Nutrition began to show some signs of improvement by the end of the quarter. Our performance in Q1 demonstrates DSM's strength in Nutrition, owing to our highly integrated and global business model, benefiting from the structural megatrends of health and wellness. We also see a more positive momentum in a number of Performance Materials end-markets." "Through maintaining our focus on the operational performance of the business, benefiting from the Profit Improvement Program, we continue to execute our near term initiatives of protecting profitability and improving cash flow. Therefore, we confirm our outlook given in January 2014, and anticipate to deliver improving financial results in the coming quarters."
