Zeiss reports slight annual revenue growth

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG reported slight revenue growth from €906 million to €909 million for its fiscal year ended Sept. 30.

After adjustment for unfavorable currency effects, revenue growth was 3.0%. Earnings before taxes were €120.7 million.

"In spite of adverse currency trends and to some extent difficult markets, we have achieved a satisfactory result,” said Dr. Ludwin Monz, president and CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec.

The Surgical Ophthalmology business unit achieved the strongest growth, increasing its revenue by 20.3% compared with the previous year to €146 million. Without taking the acquisition of Aaren Scientific into account, this unit’s growth would have been in the double digits.

Revenue in the Ophthalmic Systems business unit declined by 4.6% to around €373 million. Adjusted for currency effects, this decline would have equaled 1.8%. The company says that ophthalmic diagnosis devices came under intense competitive pressure during the fiscal year.

The Asia Pacific region recorded revenue growth of 4.8% to €284.4 million, which, adjusted for currency effects, was equivalent to 10.8%. Meanwhile revenue decreased by 9.4% in the Americas region to €296.8 million, which adjusted for currency effects, would have been 6.8%. The region of Europe, the Middle East and Africa saw revenue growth of 6.7% to €328.1, with the core markets of Germany, France and the United Kingdom contributing significantly to this. In Russia, there were substantial declines in revenue, while revenue in Southern Europe continued to rise.

The company expects to increase its revenue at least in line with average market growth in the coming financial years. Dr. Monz says the company will be strengthened by innovative new products launched during the past few months. These include the intraocular lens CT Lucia; the IOL Master 700, which uses swept source OCT technology; and the OPMI Lumera 700 Rescan, the first ophthalmic surgery microscope with an integrated OCT camera.