EQS-Ad-hoc: voestalpine AG / Key word(s): Profit Warning
voestalpine AG: voestalpine plans to sell Buderus Edelstahl and
reorganizes Automotive Components business in Germany resulting in one-off
write-downs of around EUR 410 million
14-March-2024 / 15:01 CET/CEST
Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the
Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by EQS News – a service of EQS
Group AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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voestalpine plans to sell Buderus Edelstahl and reorganizes Automotive
Components business in Germany resulting in one-off write-downs of around
EUR 410 million
The Management Board of voestalpine AG is reacting to the changed economic
conditions for industrial manufacturing companies and is reorganizing
production sites in Germany. This step is a consistent implementation of
voestalpine Group’s strategy of focusing the materials business on the
highest quality spectrum and expanding the downstream business in
promising global segments.
Buderus Edelstahl in Germany (High Performance Metals Division)
Following the restructuring steps already taken in the past, the
Management Board of voestalpine AG has decided to transfer the strategic
process initiated to reposition Buderus Edelstahl into a sales process.
According to this, the division is concentrating its product portfolio on
the high-tech segment of special materials and reducing the production
share of tool steel and engineering steel in the standard grade area.
This sale and impairment losses in the High Performance Metals Division
will result in negative one-off effects on earnings (EBIT) of about EUR
340 million. Around EUR 90 million of this will also affect EBITDA.
The resulting optimization of the product portfolio strengthens the High
Performance Metals division’s competitive position.
Business segment Automotive Components in Germany (Metal Forming Division)
In Automotive Components, the management is maintaining its
internationalization strategy, but is making targeted adjustments in
response to the structural underutilization of capacity in the automotive
supply industry in Germany. The management has already responded by
consolidating the production network, including the sale of the production
site in Nagold, Germany.
Against this backdrop, the Metal Forming Division is reorganizing its
Automotive Components business in Germany and has adjusted its planning
assumptions accordingly. This resulted in impairment losses of around EUR
70 million.
Earnings outlook BY 2023/24
The above-mentioned measures result in negative one-off effects on the
voestalpine Group’s EBITDA of about EUR 90 million and on EBIT of about
EUR 410 million. This leads to an adjustment of the EBITDA expectation for
the Business Year 2023/24 from around EUR 1.7 billion to around EUR 1.6
billion. The measures and the non-recurring burden on earnings strengthen
the voestalpine Group’s future earnings potential in a markedly changing
economic and regulatory restrictive environment.
The structural optimization and adjustment of the product portfolio is a
meaningful step in implementing the strategy of focusing the materials
business (steel production) on the highest quality segment and growing
globally in the downstream business. In the current Business Year 2023/24
significant progress was made for example in the area of automated
warehouse technology via the establishment of a new production site in
North America and an acquisition in Europe. The promising railway
infrastructure segment is also continuously expanding through strategic
investments.
End of Inside Information
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14-March-2024 CET/CEST News transmitted by EQS Group AG. www.eqs.com
═════════════════════════════════════════ ═════════ ════════════════════════ Language: English Company: Voestalpine AG Voestalpine-Straße 1 4020 Linz Austria Phone: +43 50304/15-9949 Fax: + 43 50304/55-5581 Email: IR@voestalpine.com
Internet: www.voestalpine.com
ISIN: AT0000937503
WKN: 897200
Listed: Vienna Stock Exchange (Official Market)
EQS News ID: 1857837
End of Announcement EQS News Service
1857837 14-March-2024 CET/CEST