Preliminary Results

IFX Power PLC 1 February 2001 1 February 2001 IFX Power plc ('IFX' or 'the Group') Preliminary Results for the Year Ended 31 December 2000 EARNINGS INCREASE BY OVER 100% FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2000 IFX Power plc, one of the world's leading providers of power supply solutions to the electronics industry, today announces its preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2000. Financial Highlights On a pro forma basis (1) Year ended 31 Year ended 31 £ Millions December 2000 December 1999 Turnover 105.9 58.6 Adjusted profit before tax 12.7 6.1 Adjusted earnings per share 40.0p 18.7p Total dividend 12p 8p On a statutory basis (2) Turnover 77.8 15.2 Profit before tax 9.2 2.0 Earnings per share 37.3p 12.2p Total dividend 12p 8p (1) The pro forma financial information is calculated on the basis that IPS, ForeSight and XP were combined on 1 January of each period presented, which is further described in note 2 to the financial statements. The figures have been adjusted to exclude the amortisation of goodwill. (2) The statutory financial information is calculated on the basis required by accounting standards and includes the results of XP throughout the periods presented and the results of ForeSight and IPS from the date of acquisition on 15 May 2000 and 5 July 2000 respectively. (3) The dividend for the year ended 31 December 1999 represents the dividend paid to the shareholders of XP for that period. Key Achievements * Revenue growth in excess of 70% on a like for like basis. * Earnings per share growth in excess of 100% on a like for like basis.. * Acquired Aston Technologies Inc, a small power supply business, during December 2000 for $0.9 million to gain geographic coverage in New Jersey and Philadelphia. * Entered into a contract to acquire a 25% stake in MPI XP Power AG, during December for CHF 1.8 million, with an option to acquire the remaining issued share capital in 5 years time to achieve sales coverage in Switzerland. Larry Tracey, Chief Executive Officer, said: 'The year 2000 was a period of strong growth for the Group. The Board will continue to develop the geographical coverage and product offering of the Group both organically and by acquisition to become the world market leader in the supply of power supply solutions to the mid tier of electronics industry'. Enquiries: IFX Power plc (On the day) 020 7601 1000 Larry Tracey, Chief Executive Officer(Thereafter) 0118 976 5087 James Peters, European Managing Director www.ifxpower.com Duncan Penny, Finance Director Square Mile BSMG 020 7601 1000 Kevin Smith or John Stanley Notes to Editors: IFX Power plc provides power supply solutions to the electronics industry and operates, predominantly, within the high technology sector of the market. IFX Power supplies regulate and distribute electrical power for various subsystems and components within electronic equipment. IFX Power was formed by the combination of International Power Sources, Inc., ForeSight Electronics, Inc. and XP PLC, in July 2000. IFX subsequently floated on the Official List of the UK Listing Authority in July 2000. 1 February 2001 IFX Power plc ('IFX' or 'the Group') Preliminary Results for the Year Ended 31 December 2000 CHAIRMANS STATEMENT I am pleased to report a strong performance from IFX in its first period as a public company due to the professionalism of our people. Financial Results Sales revenues for the three Group companies, IPS, ForeSight and XP grew from £58.6 million in 1999 to £105.9 million in 2000, an organic growth rate of over 70%. During this period, the market for our products was estimated to have increased by 15%. Our global market share increased from 3.5% at the end of 1999 to 5.3% at the year end. It is our opinion that this gain was at the expense of our smaller competitors who still own more than 50% of the market. Profit before tax and goodwill amortisation on a like for like basis increased from £6.1 million to £12.7 million. The growth rate is pleasing as is the 28% increase in productivity as measured by the level of gross margin generated from the operating expenses incurred. Gross margins reduced from 29.7% to 27.8%. Action has been taken to regain 1999 levels. Overall operating profit at 12% was an improvement from the level of 1999 as we gained efficiencies from our operating overheads. Pro forma earnings per share grew from 18.7p in 1999 to 40.0p in 2000. Useful progress was made during the year on bringing our tax charge towards that of the companies in our industry with whom we benchmark. More progress needs to be made in this important cost area. We are proposing a final dividend of 7p per share for approval at the Annual General Meeting, making the total dividend for the year 12p. Target Market IFX's goal is to become the dominant supplier to the mid-tier of the merchant power supply market in North America and Europe. We currently rank fourth and the market leader has almost twice our market share. Achievement of our goal will benefit all shareholders. Our strategy is to increase sales and engineering resources in those major regional markets where we have limited or non-existent coverage. In Northern California, New England and the United Kingdom we are market leaders, however these territories represent only 30% of the North America/Europe market. We aim to achieve 90% coverage of our target market over the next two years. Progress last year included opening sales offices in Germany and Holland and the acquisition of a small sales company in New Jersey. We also entered a contract to acquire a 25% stake in a Swiss power supply business with the option to acquire the remainder of the issued share capital in five years time. Products/Customers Our customers' market capital equipment. This equipment is mostly sold to industry and commerce to improve productivity. A growing trend amongst our customer base is for the manufacture of their products to be sub-contracted to specialist manufacturing companies. The communications industries are now at the forefront of the capital equipment market. Return on investment from the purchase of their products is often measured in months rather than years. The flow of new products in this sector produces new projects with life cycles of two to three years. In this fast moving environment time to market is the critical cost factor for our customers. As the power supply requirements of a new product are not defined until the design of the equipment is finalised the ability to react quickly is paramount. Customers seek to differentiate their products in their markets with the consequence that the power supply requirements for most products will be different. IFX's solution is to offer the most complete range of products in our industry sourced from over sixty design teams and one hundred factories worldwide. Our potential customer base in our target market is 75,000 companies. In the past year we traded with approximately 10% of these companies. e-tools The internet has changed our ability to transact with customers, with suppliers and with each other. The effectiveness of IFX in identifying customers and their needs has improved dramatically by developing proprietary software, which is enabled by the internet. Our business model is predicated on aggregating product requirements of 75,000 potential customers and reacting to this demand on a daily basis. In time our suppliers will access our databases through the internet to determine their production schedules. Internally, information is accessible through the internet real time and data is recorded electronically. No paper systems exist in the UK and by mid 2001 most other internal Group paper systems will be largely replaced by our e-tools in all operations. Steve Robinson was promoted to the board of directors as e- Business Director on 31 January 2001. Steve has been the leader of our e-tools team since its inception in 1998. We measure the success of our e-tools by increased productivity; our standard is the amount of gross margin added as a ratio of operating expense. Last year our operating companies increased productivity by 28%. Further gains are expected over the next few years. People Our people must share in the success of our business. Many of our people already have equity stakes. Over time we will need to increase their stakes, and also offer equity to existing employees who prove their worth to the business. In exceptional circumstances we will need to attract good people with the carrot of participation in the increase of the value of our company. We shall therefore be submitting a share option plan for your approval at the annual general meeting. OUTLOOK Our new product offerings for 2001 are significantly greater than any previous year. They include new products for telecommunications, medical, data storage, networking, broadcast, instrumentation, process control, and mobile equipment. Our marketing databases to identify new product requirements are more powerful than ever before and will be further strengthened by our expansion of sales resources across our target market, driven by acquisitions and increased resourcing of our existing regional offices. In January 2001 we opened a sales office in France. Although there are signs of an economic slow down in the U.S., the Board is confident that the Group will achieve further growth in the coming year. Ed Kramar Chairman 1 February 2001 IFX Power plc Pro Forma Consolidated Profit and Loss Account For the Year Ended 31 December 2000 £ Millions Year ended 31 Year ended 31 December 2000 December 1999 Turnover 105.9 58.6 Earnings before interest,tax and depreciation and goodwill amortisation 12.9 6.3 Amortisation of goodwill (0.9) (0.9) Depreciation (0.4) (0.4) Operating profit 11.6 5.0 Interest receivable and similar income 0.6 0.5 Interest payable and similar charges (0.4) (0.3) Profit on ordinary activities before taxation 11.8 5.2 Profit on ordinary activities before taxation and goodwill amortisation 12.7 6.1 Tax on profit on ordinary activities (4.4) (2.3) Profit on ordinary activities after taxation 7.4 2.9 Dividends payable (2.5) (0.4) ------------------------------- Retained profit for the period 4.9 2.5 =============================== Basic and fully diluted earnings per share 35.7p 14.3p Earnings per share adjusted for goodwill 40.0p 18.7p IFX Power plc Statutory Consolidated Profit and Loss Account For the Year Ended 31 December 2000 £ Millions Note 2000 1999 Turnover Continuing operations 20.8 15.2 Acquisitions 57.0 - Total turnover 3 77.8 15.2 ======================== Gross profit 22.1 5.2 Selling and distribution (8.5) (2.4) Administrative expenses (4.9) (0.8) Goodwill amortisation (0.5) - Gain on sale/allocation of ESOP shares 1.1 - Other operating income 0.1 0.1 ======================== Operating profit Continuing operations 4.0 2.1 Acquisitions 5.4 - Total operating profit 3 9.4 2.1 Interest receivable and similar income 0.2 - Interest payable and similar charges (0.4) (0.1) ======================== Profit on ordinary activities before taxation 9.2 2.0 Tax on profit on ordinary activities 4 (3.2) (0.6) Profit on ordinary activities after taxation 6.0 1.4 Dividends payable 5 (2.5) (0.8) Retained profit for the period 3.5 0.6 ======================== Basic and fully diluted earnings per share 6 37.3p 12.2p Earnings per share adjusted for goodwill 6 40.5p 12.2p Statement of Recognised Gains and Losses £ Millions 2000 1999 Profit on ordinary activities after taxation 6.0 1.4 Currency translation differences - - Total recognised gains relating to the year 6.0 1.4 IFX Power plc Statutory Consolidated Balance Sheet At 31 December 2000 £ Millions 2000 1999 Fixed assets Tangible assets 1.4 0.7 Intangible assets - goodwill 18.2 - Own shares 0.5 1.2 Investments 0.3 0.2 -------------------------- Total fixed assets 20.4 2.1 Current assets Stocks 13.4 1.0 Debtors 17.7 4.3 Cash at bank and in hand 5.5 - -------------------------- Total current assets 36.6 5.3 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (24.2) (3.7) -------------------------- Net current assets 12.4 1.6 Creditors: amounts falling after more then one year - (1.4) -------------------------- Net assets 32.8 2.3 Capital and reserves Called up share capital 0.2 0.2 Share premium account 27.0 - Merger reserve 0.2 0.2 Profit and loss account 5.4 1.9 ------------------------- Total equity shareholders' funds 32.8 2.3 IFX Power plc Statutory Consolidated Cash Flow For the Year Ended 31 December 2000 £ Millions Note 2000 1999 Net cash flow from operating activities 7 5.4 1.3 --------------------- Returns on investments and serving of finance Interest paid (0.4) (0.1) Interest received 0.2 0.1 --------------------- Net cash outflow from returns on investments and the servicing of finance (0.2) - Tax paid (3.1) (0.4) ---------------------- Capital expenditure Purchase of tangible fixed assets (0.7) (0.3) Sale of tangible fixed assets 0.1 - ---------------------- Net cash outflow from capital expenditure (0.6) (0.3) Free cash flow 1.5 0.6 Purchase of subsidiary undertakings (26.3) - Equity dividends paid (1.0) (0.5) ----------------------- Financing New shares issued 27.0 - New loans 11.8 1.3 Loan repayments (13.2) - Proceeds from sale of ESOP shares 1.3 - ----------------------- Net cash flow from financing 26.9 1.3 ----------------------- Increase in cash 1.1 1.4 Notes to the Interim Results For the Year Ended 31 December 2000 1.Basis of preparation Accounting convention The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. Basis of consolidation On 11 May 2000 XP acquired the entire issued share capital of Forx Inc. ('Forx') a company incorporated in the USA in a share for share exchange. On 15 May 2000 Forx acquired the entire issued share capital of ForeSight for cash. On 12 June 2000 IFX acquired the entire issued share capital of XP in a share for share exchange. On 5 July 2000 IFX acquired the entire issued share capital of IPS Inc. (IPS) for cash. The group has accounted for the acquisition of XP and Forx using the merger method of accounting and the acquisition of ForeSight and IPS using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 6, 'Acquisitions and Mergers'. The pro forma consolidated financial information has also been prepared on this basis. Goodwill and intangible fixed assets For acquisitions of a business, where the acquisition method of accounting is adopted, purchased goodwill is capitalised in the year in which it arises and amortised over its estimated useful life up to a maximum of 20 years. The directors regard 20 years as a reasonable useful life for goodwill. Capitalised purchased goodwill in respect of subsidiaries is included within intangible fixed assets. Tangible fixed assets Depreciation is provided on cost in equal annual instalments over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The rates of depreciation are as follows: Plant and machinery 15-33% Motor vehicles 25% Office equipment 15-33% Leasehold improvements 10% Long leasehold land and buildings Term of the lease Investments Investments held as fixed assets are stated at cost less provision for impairment if applicable. Stocks Stocks are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Cost represents materials and appropriate overheads. Deferred taxation Deferred taxation is provided at the anticipated tax rates on differences arising from the inclusion of items of income and expenditure in taxation computations in periods different from those in which they are included in the financial statements to the extent that it is probable that a liability or asset will crystallise in the future. Foreign exchange Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the rates ruling at the dates of the transactions. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies at the balance sheet date are translated at the rates ruling at that date. These translation differences are dealt with in the profit and loss account. The results of overseas subsidiary undertakings are translated in sterling at average rates for the period. The exchange differences arising as a result of restating retained profits to closing rates are dealt with as a movement on reserves. Leases Rental costs under operating leases are charged to the profit and loss account in equal instalments over the period of the leases. 2.Basis of pro forma financial information The pro forma financial information for the years ended 31 December 2000 and 1999 have been determined as if the trading companies IPS, ForeSight and XP were combined from the beginning of the financial periods concerned. The figures have been extracted from the financial statements of the companies concerned. The pro forma adjustments reflected in the pro forma consolidated profit and loss accounts include assumptions made by the directors that they consider to be reasonable and which are consistent with the pro forma information presented in the IFX Prospectus dated 27 June 2000 except for the profit before tax for 1999 which has been increased by £1.6M to reflect the drawings made by the selling shareholders of IPS above the salaries which were paid to them in 2000. This adjustment has been made to ensure fairer comparability between the two years presented. 3.Segmental analysis The Group operates substantially in one class of business, providing power supply solutions to the electronics industry. Analysis of total Group operating profit, net assets, pro forma turnover and pro forma total Group operating profit by geographical region is set out below. Segmental analysis pro forma basis £ Millions Pro forma basis ------------------------------- Year to 31 Year to 31 December 2000 December 1999 Turnover Europe 20.8 15.2 United States 85.1 43.4 -------------------------------- Total turnover 105.9 58.6 Group operating profit (before goodwill) Europe 3.1 2.1 United States 9.4 3.8 --------------------------------- Total Group operating profit (before goodwill) 12.5 5.9 Segmental analysis statutory basis Statutory Basis £ Millions Year to 31 Year to 31 December 2000 December 1999 Turnover Europe 20.8 15.2 United States 56.9 - ---------------------------------- Total turnover 77.8 15.2 Group operating profit (before goodwill) Europe 4.0 2.1 United States 5.9 - ---------------------------------- Total group operating profit (before goodwill) 9.9 2.1 Amortisation of goodwill (0.5) - Total group operating profit after goodwill 9.4 2.1 At 31 December At 31 December 2000 1999 Net assets Europe 13.4 2.3 United States 32.6 - --------------------------------- Total 46.0 2.3 Elimination of pre-acquisition profits and investments in subsidiary undertakings (13.4) - --------------------------------- Total net assets 32.6 2.3 4. Taxation Pro forma basis £ Millions Year to 31 Year to 31 December 2000 December 1999 United Kingdom 1.3 0.6 International taxation: Subsidiary undertakings 3.1 - ---------------------------------- Total taxation 4.4 0.6 Statutory basis £ Millions Year to 31 Year to 31 December 2000 December 1999 United Kingdom 1.1 0.7 International taxation: Subsidiary undertakings 2.1 1.6 ---------------------------------- Total taxation 3.2 2.3 5.Equity dividends An interim dividend of 5p (1999 - 4p) per share was paid on 17 October 2000. A final divided of 7p (1999 - 4p) is proposed for approval to be paid on 17 May 2001 to shareholders on the register of members on 4 May 2001. 6.Earnings per share £ Millions Year to 31 Year to 31 December 2000 December 1999 Pro forma basis Earnings for the financial period for basic earnings per share 7.4 2.9 Amortisation of goodwill 0.9 0.9 ---------------------------------------- Earnings for adjusted earnings per share 8.3 3.8 ======================================== Weighted average number of shares (thousands) 20,731 20,080 Statutory basis Earnings for the financial period for basic earnings per share 6.0 1.4 Amortisation of goodwill 0.5 - --------------------------------------- Earnings for adjusted earnings per share 6.5 1.4 ======================================= Weighted average number of shares (thousands) - basic 16,132 11,120 Weighted average number of shares (thousands) - fully diluted 16,133 11,120 7. Reconciliation of operating profit to net cash inflow from operating activities £ Millions Year to 31 Year to 31 December 2000 December 1999 Operating profit 9.4 2.1 Depreciation and amortisation 0.9 0.3 Profit on sale and allocation of ESOP shares (1.1) - (Increase)/decrease in stocks (4.7) - (Increase) in debtors (0.3) (0.8) Increase/(decrease) in creditors 1.2 (0.3) ---------------------------------- Net cash inflow from operating activities 5.4 1.3 8.Reconciliation of net funds £ Millions Year to 31 Year to 31 December 2000 December 1999 Net (overdraft)/cash at 1 January - (1.5) Cash acquired with subsidiary undertakings 3.2 - Net overdrafts acquired with subsidiary undertakings (2.4) - Increase in cash per cash flow statement 1.1 1.4 ----------------------------------- Net funds at 31 December 1.9 (0.1) Represented by Cash at bank and in hand 5.4 - Overdrafts (3.5) (0.1) ----------------------------------- Net funds at 31 December 1.9 (0.1) 9.Borrowings On 15 May 2000 the Group obtained a finance facility totalling £11.75 million to acquire the entire share capital of ForeSight and refinance a loan of £1.38M from Coutts & Co. This facility was repaid on 7 July 2000 using the proceeds of the Groups placing. 10. Statutory Accounts The financial information set out in this announcement does not constitute the company's statutory accounts for the years ended 31 December 2000 or 1999. The financial information for the year ended 31 December 1999 is derived from the IFX Prospectus dated 27 June 2000 which has been delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The auditors reported on the accounts within that prospectus; their report was unqualified and did not contain a statement under s237(2) or (3) Companies Act 1985. The statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2000 will be finalised on the basis of the financial information presented by the directors in this preliminary announcement and will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies following the company's annual general meeting. This announcement was approved by the directors on 31 January 2001.
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