EKF Diagnostics Holdings PLC Trading Update (8718N)
February 03 2016 - 2:00AM
UK Regulatory
TIDMEKF
RNS Number : 8718N
EKF Diagnostics Holdings PLC
03 February 2016
EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc
("EKF" or the "Company")
Trading update
EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc (AIM: EKF), the Point-of-Care
diagnostics business, announces a trading update for the year ended
31 December 2015.
Key Highlights:
-- EKF now singularly focussed on Point-of-Care
-- Management focussed on returning to core profitability and positive cash flow
-- Cost savings of GBP6.7 million expected to be achieved from 2016 onwards
-- Foundations in place to deliver future growth
EKF Chairman, Ron Zwanziger, provides the following statement to
shareholders:
Since my appointment I have brought a singular focus to the
Company based on the fundamental objective of stabilising it and
then returning it to core profitability and positive cash flow. The
work to achieve that objective continues and I will look to update
Shareholders on a quarterly basis as we continue to progress.
As previously stated this focus will necessitate a number of
asset write-downs of previously capitalised intangible assets and
goodwill in addition to making due provisions against Mexican
debtors. The overall quantum of these write-downs will be in a
range of GBP55 million to GBP60 million for the year end 2015,
subject to audit review. Trading for 2015 will be in line with the
guidance previously given in our 26 November 2015 trading update,
with the overall loss impacted by the asset write-downs.
This singular and direct approach has started to yield
significant benefits in terms of cost reduction:
- We have eliminated our loss-making molecular business. Selah
has been divested and the employees of EKF Molecular have been made
redundant;
- The remaining Quotient employees have been made redundant,
focusing future development effort on Barleben, where this will be
performed as short-term product support;
- Headcount reductions have been made at both our Stanbio
facility and our EKF Barleben facility
Due to these measures headcount has reduced by 85 to 315 and we
expect to achieve cost savings of GBP6.7 million on an annualised
basis. A considerable amount has been achieved and will continue to
be achieved as we look to play to our strengths in
Point-of-Care.
2016 - The year ahead
As we rebase the Company, it is key that the expectations are
set at a level that reflects the core business without the
inclusion of tender business, which has been an Achilles heel in
the past. On that basis the Board anticipates core 2016 revenues,
without tender wins, being just over GBP30 million with an adjusted
EBITDA between GBP3 million and GBP4 million.
The Board believe that we can and should achieve more, but we
have decided that we are unable to accurately forecast the tender
business due to the vagaries of public funding leading to delays
and postponements.
In terms of our cash; our facility was reduced and I have
supported the Company by making funds available to enable executive
management to perform the task that I had set them. In the first
quarter cash remains tight due to the impact of the costs
associated with restructuring but thereafter the benefits of the
cost reductions flow through and we expect to be cash positive by
April 2016.
I have leveraged my expertise and network to look to expand our
distribution in areas where we are currently weak and it is my
ambition to make this Company a major player in Point-of-Care. With
both the distractions and under-performance of 2015 behind EKF, I
believe we now have all the foundations in place to be able to
build and deliver on this and have considerable prospects for
future growth.
EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc Tel: 029 2071 0570
Ron Zwanziger, Non-Executive Tel: +1 339 221 6282
Chairman
Julian Baines, CEO Mob: 07788 420 859
Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited Tel: 020 7886 2500
Robert Naylor (Corporate Finance)
Paul Fincham (Corporate Finance)
Walbrook PR Limited Tel: 020 7933 8780 or ekf@walbrookpr.com
Paul McManus Mob: 07980 541 893
Lianne Cawthorne Mob: 07584 391 303
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
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