Trading Update and Restatement of Accounts

RNS Number : 0119X

Synnovia PLC

25 April 2019

 

25^th April 2019

Synnovia plc

("Synnovia" or the "Group")

Trading Update and Restatement of Accounts

Trading Update

Further to its trading update announced on 19 February 2019, Synnovia (AIM: SYN) announces that it expects results for the financial year ended 31 March 2019 to show significant growth in both sales and profits albeit, while up significantly, profits are expected to be marginally below current market expectations.

Overall, we experienced another year of strong sales and profit growth. Our Industrial Division, led by the bearings business, has performed extremely well as new business came on stream after the unexpected delays we reported in the prior year. This performance was supported by the acquisitions completed during the past three years in the creasing matrix business, which have continued to show good improvement.

As previously reported, our Films Division has continued to grow both sales and customers  despite becoming capacity constrained mid-year due to some relatively minor project delays in planned expansion within the division. Whilst new capacity came on stream in early calendar year 2019, it was too late to enable performance to recover fully before the financial year came to an end.

Profitability in the Films Division was adversely affected by these project delays, with the Group having incurred costs to meet anticipated sales growth. In addition, there has been some modest cost inflation in energy, packaging and logistics. None of these factors have applied to the Industrial Division, where margins and costs increases have been in line with expectations.

We have continued to invest heavily to add capacity and capabilities to support the sales and profit growth being achieved. Naturally this impacts depreciation costs, interest costs and cash flow in the near term.  We are confident that these investments will continue to benefit shareholders over the longer run.

Restatement of Historic Accounts

The Group also reports that, while there is no effect on reported profitability, it has recently discovered a non-material overstatement of revenue for the financial year ended 31 March 2018. The overstatement amounts to £1.619 million, which represents circa 2% of reported revenues, together with a corresponding amount in relation to cost of sales. It is intended that revenues and cost of sales for that year will be restated in the forthcoming Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2019. The error arose through a failure to eliminate inter-company sales and attendant costs and additional checks have been added to the internal review and audit processes which are designed to prevent the such a recurrence.

Commenting, Faisal Rahmatallah, Chairman, said: "We are pleased to report continued strong organic growth across the business over the last financial year, despite the capacity constraints faced in the Films Division. The Industrial Division has enjoyed a good FY2018-19; in particular, the bearings business has performed well and its prospects are good going forward. In the Films Division, small delays to capacity expansion projects have restricted profit growth relative to expectations over the last six months.  We enter the new financial year with these projects concluded and we now have an excellent platform in the Films Division for profit growth to resume.  We continue to focus on organic growth opportunities across the business as we enter FY2019-20."

The information contained within this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

For further information, please contact:

Synnovia plc	Tel: [phone]
Faisal Rahmatallah, Chairman
Nick Ball, Finance Director
Cenkos Securities	Tel: [phone]
(Nomad and joint broker)
Mark Connelly
Callum Davidson
Allenby Capital Limited	Tel: [phone]
(Joint broker)
David Hart

Notes to Editors

Synnovia is a specialist manufacturer of industrial components and consumables.  Applications for these products vary widely and examples include:

·    Packaging for the food manufacturing and distribution - films, sacks and pouches

·    Steering columns and instrument control knobs in the automotive industry - plastic ball bearings

·    Hydraulic and industrial rubber hose manufacture - various types of plastic mandrel

·    Cardboard box manufacture - creasing matrices

Synnovia's business model is based on understanding customers' problems in depth, and then developing and mass producing proprietary, technical solutions for these problems.

The business operates through two divisions, Films and Industrial, and has the majority of its production in six UK based factories, with a further two factories in Asia.  Approximately 50% of its £83 million sales are made outside the UK to more than 80 countries.

Further information can be found on www.synnoviaplc.com

 

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