Meyer Burger Technology AG — Earnings Release 2008

Sep 11, 2008

News Details

Corporate | 11 September 2008 10:24

Roth & Rau AG: Strong rise in orders at the eight-month stage

Roth & Rau AG / Miscellaneous

Release of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory
AG.
The issuer / publisher is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

---

Roth & Rau AG: Strong rise in orders at the eight-month stage
- New orders worth EUR 206.1 million during the period
- Continued order flow and positive feedback from Valencia trade show

Hohenstein-Ernstthal, 11 September 2008 – The Roth & Rau Group reports a
gratifying order trend since the end of the first half of the year, with
orders worth EUR 25.0 million won in the months of July and August.
Approximately EUR 3.0 million were contributed by AIS Automation Dresden
GmbH, the new subsidiary consolidated effective 1 July 2008. This mostly
involved orders from the solar industry. AIS serves some of the leading
players in the solar industry including a number of long-standing customers
of Roth & Rau. AIS offers control systems for manufacturing lines for the
production of crystalline silicon solar cells known as Manufacturing
Execution Systems (MES projects). All told, the Group booked orders worth
EUR 206.1 million during the first eight months of the year, up 84.5% on
the prior year’s EUR 111.7 million.

The company’s expectations for the further course of the year remain
optimistic. New contracts and declarations of intent with a total volume of
approximately EUR 45 million were signed at the 23rd European Photovoltaic
Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition which took place in Valencia during
the first week in September. One of the declarations of intent is for the
delivery of a 60 MWp turnkey manufacturing line to a new customer in India;
this contract is expected to be signed soon. In addition, Roth & Rau AG
used the trade fair to showcase its latest products and newly developed
technologies including the new generation of its successful SiNA series.
The further developed equipment for antireflective coating now allows for a
number of advanced coating technologies such as double-side coating of
solar cells and the production of double layer structures for improved
passivation of solar cells. This way Roth & Rau equipment makes another
contribution to raising the efficiency of multicrystalline silicon solar
cells while at the same time offering customers additional potential for
cutting costs. Trade fair visitors also responded very favourably to the
automation solutions offered by SLS Solar Line Saxony, another Group
subsidiary, and the software solutions presented by AIS. 'The presentation
of our new products in Valencia has generated numerous promising leads.
Feedback has been highly favourable and we are confident that we can bring
the sales negotiations started at the trade fair to a successful conclusion
in the weeks ahead,' said Dr. Dietmar Roth, CEO of Roth & Rau AG.

About Roth & Rau AG:
Roth & Rau AG based in Hohenstein-Ernstthal (ISIN DE000A0JCZ51) is by
market share one of the world’s leading suppliers of plasma process systems
for the photovoltaics industry. Furthermore Roth & Rau supplies components
and process systems based on plasma and ion beam technology for other
sectors. Developed by Roth & Rau, these products are manufactured and
distributed worldwide through the company’s photovoltaic and plasma and ion
beam technology divisions. Roth & Rau’s photovoltaic division focuses on
providing antireflective coating facilities as well as fully automated
manufacturing lines (turnkey production lines) for the production of
crystalline silicon solar cells. Another focus is on the production of
equipment for the coating of thin film solar modules. The plasma and ion
beam technology division, which accounted for 6 percent of total sales in
the 2007 financial year, produces plasma sources and ion beam sources as
well as process systems for plasma and ion beam enhanced thin film and
surface processing methods. Customers served by this division include, in
particular, companies in the semiconductor and automotive industries, R&D
departments in various industries including photovoltaics as well as
research institutes and universities. Roth & Rau AG posted sales of EUR 146
million and EBIT of EUR 14 million pursuant to IFRS for the 2007 financial
year and had an average of 190 employees. Sales in the first half of the
year amounted to EUR 104 million, with EBIT coming in at EUR 11
million.

Contact:
Haubrok Investor Relations GmbH
Simone Gorny
Kaistraße 16
40221 Düsseldorf
Tel.: +49 (0) 211/30126-130
Fax: +49 (0)211/30126-5130
E-Mail: s.gorny@haubrok.de

11.09.2008 Financial News transmitted by DGAP

Language: English
Issuer: Roth & Rau AG
An der Baumschule 6-8
09337 Hohenstein-Ernstthal
Deutschland
Phone: 03723 6685-0
Fax: 03723 6685-100
E-mail: info@roth-rau.de
Internet: www.roth-rau.de
ISIN: DE000A0JCZ51
WKN: A0JCZ5
Indices: TecDAX
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr
in Berlin, Stuttgart, München, Düsseldorf

End of News DGAP News-Service

---