Atmel Corporation Announcement

RNS Number : 4409Z

Carclo plc

06 February 2014

 



6 February 2014

Carclo plc

("the group")

Atmel Corporation Announcement

The group notes the comments in respect of XSense™ made by Atmel Corporation ("Atmel") executives during the Analysts Earnings call that accompanied Atmel's Q4 results on 5 February 2014.

Extracts from the transcripts of the Earnings call are reproduced below:

"Turning our discussion to XSense, during the fourth quarter, our XSense product was prominently featured in Hewlett Packard's Omni 10 5600 Windows 8 tablet.  The Omni is also powered by our maXTouch touch controller, as well as our AVR microcontroller for the home key button underneath the Microsoft Windows logo.  This quarter, HP released a second system featuring XSense, the EliteBook Revolve 810 G2.  It's an ultra-thin business notebook that rotates to become a tablet in an instant. 

In addition to support for Android systems, our groundbreaking XSense flexible metal mesh touch sensor achieved Windows® 8 certification at a system level during the fourth quarter. The Microsoft certification ensures the innovative touch material addresses the markets for Windows 8 smartphones, tablets, Ultrabooks and other PC and consumer devices.  Our XSense sensors will enable a variety of touch-enabled products that are lighter, thinner and faster with superior touch performance on any Windows 8 operating system.

As a leader in metal mesh technology, with strong IP and manufacturing expertise, Atmel stands to significantly benefit from the adoption of metal mesh technology and the overall growth of the touch sensor market.

While the XSense revenue ramp has been slower than anticipated, customer design activity is steadily increasing, and we anticipate multiple new designs, including with additional tier-one customers, will roll out throughout the year.  We expect a substantial number of these new designs will take advantage of the unique features of our technology, including narrow bezels, wider, thinner stack-ups, curved surfaces and faster touch response."

"Our XSense product is in volume production, and the touch sensor market continues to represent a substantial opportunity for Atmel. Although the business has ramped slower than anticipated, we expect significant growth for this business in 2014 and beyond."

Atmel's growth expectations and increase in customer design activity in its XSense™ business are positive for Carclo's Conductive Inkjet Technology business which supplies the coated film technology for the XSense™ production ramp up.

- ENDS -

Enquiries:
Carclo plc	01924 268040
Chris Malley, Chief Executive
Robert Brooksbank, Finance Director
Weber Shandwick Financial	020 7067 0700
Nick Oborne / Stephanie Badjonat

Notes to editors

Carclo plc is a technology group. It is a public company whose shares are quoted on the London Stock Exchange.

Carclo's strategy has been to develop new technologies and products to drive future growth. Its investment in CIT has led to the introduction of a new material for use in Capacitive Touch Screens. Further investment has been made in Carclo Diagnostic Solutions, where a novel Point-of-Care hardware platform has been developed.

Approximately three fifths of revenues are currently derived from the supply of fine tolerance, injection moulded plastic components, which are used in medical, optical and electronics products. This business, Carclo Technical Plastics, operates internationally in a fast growing and dynamic market underpinned by rapid technological development.

Approximately two fifths of revenues are derived from the supply of specialised precision LED based systems to the premium automotive industry, as well as key control systems for the aerospace industry.

 

END

 

 

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