Prepress
Agfa-Gevaert Group Q3 Results 2022
Thursday 10. November 2022 - Our confidence in the strategy we have outlined for our Digital Print & Chemicals division is strengthened by the recognition of the superiority of our systems by the market and by industry experts, exemplified by the Pinnacle Product awards and essenscia Innovation award recently won.
The Agfa-Gevaert Group in Q3 2022:
Adjusted EBITDA increase of 8% with contrasted performances between the divisions
HealthCare IT: organic sales growth, strong increase in order intake, solid profitability
Digital Print & Chemicals: contrasted top line performance between the various activities – demand weakness and cost inflation impact – strong sales for Digital Print and Zirfon membranes
Radiology Solutions: medical film business impacted by lockdowns in China and margin pressure
Offset Solutions: successful pricing actions compensate for demand weakness
The Group is preparing additional measures to address challenges in Digital Print & Chemicals and Radiology Solutions and to outline the post-offset structure
Agfa-Gevaert today commented on its results in the third quarter of 2022.
“In these times of exceptional economic and geopolitical instability, we saw strong contrasts between the third quarter performances of our various activities. The HealthCare IT and Offset Solutions divisions performed well, with strong improvements in profitability. The Radiology Solutions and Digital Print & Chemicals divisions continued to struggle with the lockdowns in China, supply chain issues and cost inflation. Several activities also felt the impact of the weakening economic environment, mainly in Europe and China. On top of the current transformation actions regarding our internal IT and financial services, the economic reality requires further measures to adapt the cost structure of the Group.
Our confidence in the strategy we have outlined for our Digital Print & Chemicals division is strengthened by the recognition of the superiority of our systems by the market and by industry experts, exemplified by the Pinnacle Product awards and the essenscia Innovation award we recently won. HealthCare ITs organic growth in sales and order intake validates our growth ambitions.
In August, we signed a share purchase agreement with AURELIUS Group for the sale of our Offset Solutions division. We are on track to complete the transaction in the course of the first quarter of 2023. In the third quarter, we also reached an important milestone in our pension de-risking efforts, as the full pension plan in the UK has now been de-risked, without additional cash contributions,” said Pascal Juéry, President and CEO of the Agfa-Gevaert Group.
Excluding currency effects, the Groups top line increased by 1.4%. The HealthCare IT division benefited from the revenue recognition from certain large-scale contracts and the Digital Print business posted double-digit growth. Radiology Solutions medical film was heavily impacted by the lockdowns in China. Offset Solutions topline remained stable.
The price increase actions to tackle cost inflation continued to bear fruit for Offset Solutions, but are to be reinforced across the Group. Due to these pricing actions and favorable sales mix effects in HealthCare IT, the gross profit margin improved to 28.4% of revenue.
Selling and General Administration expenses increased by 12.6% versus the third quarter of 2021, mainly due to increased business activity impacting the selling expenses, as well as broader cost inflation and currency effects.
R&D expenses increased by 11.8% to 25 million Euro, but remained almost stable as a percentage of sales.
Driven by the HealthCare IT and Offset Solutions divisions, adjusted EBITDA increased from 21 million Euro (4.9% of revenue) in the third quarter of 2021 to 23 million Euro (4.9% of revenue), in spite of inflationary pressure and supply chain issues. Adjusted EBIT reached 7 million Euro, versus 6 million Euro in the third quarter of 2021.
Restructuring and non-recurring items resulted in an expense of 13 million Euro, versus an expense of 7 million Euro in the third quarter of 2021. This increase reflects investments in various transformation projects, including the organization of the Offset Solutions activities into a stand-alone legal entity structure and the re-organization of the Groups operating model.
The net finance costs amounted to minus 5 million Euro.
Income tax expenses amounted to minus 5 million Euro versus 1 million Euro in the third quarter of 2021.
As a result of the elements mentioned above, the Agfa-Gevaert Group posted a net loss of 17 million Euro.
Financial position and cash flow
Net financial debt (including IFRS 16) evolved from a net cash position of 120 million Euro at the end of Q2 2022 to a net cash position of 98 million Euro.
Impacted by the demand slowdown, trade working capital remained stable at 31% of turnover versus Q2 2022. In absolute numbers, trade working capital evolved from 563 million Euro at the end of Q2 2022 to 571 million Euro.
The Group generated a free cash flow of minus 11 million Euro.
After a first pension buy-in transaction for the UK pension plan in 2021, an additional buy-in transaction has taken place which leads to a full de-risking of the UK pension plan, without additional cash contributions. This additional transaction will be reflected in the remeasurements at year-end.
Outlook
The Agfa-Gevaert Group expects a continuing impact of cost inflation, supply chain issues, COVID lockdowns in China and the uncertain geopolitical and economic situation in the coming quarters. While the raw material cost inflation started to ease, salary cost inflation is expected to remain a concern in the near future.
Overall, the Agfa-Gevaert Group continues to focus on working capital improvements and cost management. The Group expects working capital to go down in the fourth quarter, driven by lower inventories. The ongoing transformation actions are well on track and are expected to bring more agility and to further simplify the operations of the Group. On top of these actions, the economic reality requires additional measures to adapt the Groups cost structure.
The HealthCare IT division expects to deliver strong results in the next quarter. The Radiology Solutions division is expected to show quarter-on-quarter improvement.
The HealthCare IT divisions top line increased strongly to 62 million Euro, driven by the revenue recognition from a number of important contracts, mainly in North America, where as an example, a large luminary health system not only renewed, but expanded the scope of their commitment with Agfa HealthCare for the next five years. Business was still influenced by supply chain issues for hardware components. Fluctuations between quarters are normal, as a significant portion of revenues and margins are realized when projects reach key milestones.
Driven by favorable mix effects (more own IP and services), the divisions gross profit margin improved to 44.9% of revenue. Although the division stepped up its investments in R&D and commercial resources to grow the business, adjusted EBITDA improved to 5.9 million Euro (9.5% of revenue). Adjusted EBIT increased to 4.0 million Euro (6.5% of revenue).
HealthCare ITs order book remains at a very healthy level. The division recorded a 16% growth in the 12 months rolling order intake versus the year before. The division continues to attract new customers and expand the scope of its solutions at existing customer sites. The new Leadership team in North America is now fully in place. In this region, Agfa HealthCare landed several important wins with its Enterprise Imaging solution across several large consolidated health systems.
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, long-term Agfa HealthCare customer King Abdullah Medical City in Makkah (Mecca), upgraded its former Agfa HealthCare image management system to Enterprise Imaging. In Chile, Agfa HealthCare started the go live of the upgrade project to Enterprise Imaging at UC CHRISTUS Health Network, one of the most important private health care networks in the country.
Recently, the KLAS Research 2022 Europe PACS report named Agfa HealthCare among top performers in terms of customer satisfaction. In the report Agfa HealthCare is confirmed to have one of the most expansive footprints, with strong customer bases.
For the HealthCare IT division, 2022 is a year of consolidation, as the focus is turning towards profitable growth. As shown by the positive development of the order intake, the divisions strategy to target customer segments and geographies for which its Enterprise Imaging solution is best fit and to prioritize higher value revenue streams is working. This strategy will ultimately allow the division to reach the targeted growth of EBITDA: starting from a mid-single-digit percentage in 2019 to percentages in the high-teens over the next years.
The Radiology Solutions divisions top line increased by 1.5% compared to the third quarter of 2021.
Following a number of slower quarters, the Direct Radiography business recorded a double-digit revenue growth in the third quarter of 2022.
In this business, however, the post-COVID market context continues to be volatile as healthcare providers continue to face operational challenges affecting short term spend decisions, while having to review investment priorities for the short and medium term. The order book for this business remains strong, with continuously longer conversion lead times affected by the supply chain environments. Agfa is taking actions (costs control actions, price increases, net working capital actions) to increase its agility and better adapt to these market conditions.
In the third quarter, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust selected Agfas high-performing DR 600 direct radiography room for its unique new diagnostic center in a retail development in Barnsley, UK.
Also in the UK, three Agfa DR 600 rooms have been installed at the 700-bed Hull Royal Infirmary, which is operated by the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Mainly in China, COVID lockdowns continued to weigh heavily on the medical film business. Furthermore, the current geopolitical situation and slower than normal volumes in some export markets also had an impact. These volume effects were not fully offset by the price increases for all types of medical film to tackle cost inflation.
The market driven top line decline for the Computed Radiography business was further amplified by the current geopolitical situation and component shortages. Agfa continues to manage the CR business to maintain healthy profit margins.
The divisions profitability continued to be affected by volume decreases, mix effects and cost inflation. The gross profit margin of the division decreased from 33.8% of revenue to 30.5%. The divisions adjusted EBITDA margin amounted to 7.8% of revenue, versus 13.0% in the third quarter of 2021. In absolute figures, adjusted EBITDA reached 9.1 million Euro (15.0 million Euro in third quarter of 2021). Adjusted EBIT amounted to 2.8 million Euro (2.4% of revenue), versus 9.2 million Euro (8.0% of revenue) in the previous year.
Although supply chain issues continued to cause disruptions, the Digital Print & Chemicals divisions top line grew substantially versus the third quarter of 2021, mainly driven by the sign & display business. Some business areas, especially in electronics and industrial inkjet applications, were impacted by the weaker economic environment, mainly in Europe and Asia. Demand remains solid for the products supporting the green energy transition (Zirfon membranes and Orgacon for hybrid cars), as well as for the industrial film products.
In spite of strong cost inflation, COVID lockdowns in China and logistic challenges, the divisions gross profit margin slightly improved. Due to overall SG&A cost inflation, as well as increased marketing & sales activities and lower R&D subsidies, the adjusted EBITDA margin evolved from 4.7% of revenue (3.8 million Euro in absolute figures) in the third quarter of 2021 to 0.0% (0.0 million Euro in absolute figures). Adjusted EBIT amounted to minus 3.6 million Euro in the third quarter of 2022 versus 0.9 million Euro in the previous year.
In the field of digital print, the top line of the sign & display business grew strongly. The ink product ranges for sign & display applications continued to perform well. In spite of industry-wide logistic challenges for the high-end equipment, the top line of the wide-format printing equipment business continued its upward trend.
In the field of industrial inkjet, the décor printing business was impacted by the weakening economic environment, as customers are postponing investments in their digitization process.
The development of the Speedset single-pass packaging printer of the recently acquired Inca Digital Printers is proceeding as planned. The machine is generating strong interest among potential customers. In the third quarter, contracts were signed for the delivery of the first Agfa-branded Onset wide-format machines.
In the third quarter, no less than five of Agfas inkjet printing solutions have been honored with a Pinnacle Product Award from PRINTING United Alliance. The Pinnacle Product Awards recognize products that improve or advance the printing industry with exceptional contributions in quality, capability, and productivity. The awards confirm Agfas technological leadership in the field of large-format digital inkjet printing. PRINTING United Alliance is the most comprehensive member-based printing and graphic arts association in the United States.
The specialty chemicals range of the division is well-positioned for future growth with products and solutions that target specific promising markets. Agfas Orgacon conductive materials, for instance, are used in hybrid and electric car technology. Due to supply chain issues in the car industry, this part of the Orgacon business is growing slower than expected. Furthermore, Orgacon sales were influenced by the lower demand for certain electronic devices, especially display screens.
Sales figures for the Zirfon membranes for advanced alkaline electrolysis are growing according to plan. In recent quarters, the number of active customers for Zirfon has increased to over 50. Agfa started engineering studies for a new industrial unit for the Zirfon membranes at its Mortsel site in Belgium (investment decision to be made in Q1 2023). This will allow the Group to be ready for the expected further increase in customer demand. In October, Agfa received the prestigious essenscia Innovation Award 2022 for its Zirfon UTP 220 membrane technology. Essenscia is the Belgian sector federation of the chemical industry and life sciences.
Agfas range of products for the production of printed circuit boards was hit by cost inflation and by the COVID-related lockdowns in China.
Agfas specialty film and foil products benefited from the post-COVID pick-up in sectors including aviation, the oil and gas industry and the printing industry.
The Synaps range of synthetic papers started to see the impact of the weak economic conditions.
Including positive currency effects, the Offset Solutions divisions top line increased by 3.3% compared to the third quarter of 2021. The division successfully implemented price increases to tackle the overall cost inflation, among others for raw materials, packaging and freight. Furthermore, the division is increasing its focus on high-value regions.
Although affected by cost inflation, the Offset Solutions divisions gross profit margin improved from 19.3% of revenue in the third quarter of 2021 to 23.4% due to the implemented price adjustments.
Adjusted EBITDA improved strongly to 12.7 million Euro (6.4% of revenue) versus 2.5 million Euro (1.3% of revenue) in the third quarter of 2021. Adjusted EBIT amounted to 8.2 million Euro (4.1% of revenue), compared to minus 1.6 million Euro in the third quarter of 2021.
In August, the Agfa-Gevaert Group has signed a share purchase agreement with AURELIUS Group for the sale of its Offset Solutions division. The proposed transaction is subject to customary employees information and consultation processes, regulatory approvals and closing conditions. Both parties aim to complete the transaction in the course of the first quarter of 2023.
Management Certification of Financial Statements and Quarterly Report
This statement is made in order to comply with new European transparency regulation enforced by the Belgian Royal Decree of November 14, 2007 and in effect as of 2008.
“The Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of Agfa-Gevaert NV, represented by Mr. Frank Aranzana, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Pascal Juéry, President and CEO, and Mr. Dirk De Man, CFO, jointly certify that, to the best of their knowledge, the consolidated financial statements included in the report and based on the relevant accounting standards, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition and results of Agfa-Gevaert NV, including its consolidated subsidiaries. Based on our knowledge, the report includes all information that is required to be included in such document and does not omit to state all necessary material facts.”
Statement of risk
This statement is made in order to comply with new European transparency regulation enforced by the Belgian Royal Decree of November 14, 2007 and in effect as of 2008.
“As with any company, Agfa is continually confronted with – but not exclusively – a number of market and competition risks or more specific risks related to the cost of raw materials, product liability, environmental matters, proprietary technology or litigation.”