Gurit says that it had net sales of CHF 269.2 million for the first nine months of 2015, an increase of 7.4% in reported Swiss francs over net sales of CHF 250.7 million for the first nine months of 2014.
According to the company, its Composite Materials business unit benefited from sound demand in the wind energy industry and the company`s position in the global core material value chain. Net sales for advanced composite materials increased by 6.1% in reported Swiss francs to CHF 205.3 million in the first nine months of 201,5 compared with net sales of CHF 193.6 million in the first nine months of 2014. Net sales to the wind energy industry amounted to CHF 116.3 million in the first nine months of 2015, an increase of 17.4%. Sales to other material markets (marine, aerospace, industrial, automotive materials, and ballistics) totaled CHF 89 million in the nine month 2015 period, 5.8% less than in the first nine months of 2014.
The Composite Components business unit, including automotive components, bus parts, and structural engineering, reported sales of CHF 20.8 million for the first nine months of 2015 compared with CHF 21.1 million in the first nine months of 2014. This represents a decrease of 1.7% in reported Swiss francs. Reduced sales volumes in Q3 2015 compared to Q1/Q2 of 2015 are related to the timing of phase out of some programs and new programs not yet fully deployed, Gurit said.
The Tooling business unit, covering wind blade moulds and related equipment, increased sales to CHF 43.1 million for the first nine months of 2015 compared with sales of CHF 36.1 million for the first nine months of 2014. This represents an increase of 19.6% in reported Swiss francs.
For the full year 2015, Gurit expects generate net sales of around CHF 350 million and an operating profit margin within the company`s reported mid-term target of 8–10%.
This story is reprinted from material from Gurit, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.