CORPORATE NEWS
Alzchem Group AG: new record levels for sales, EBITDA and annual result in the fiscal year 2021
- – Sales increase to EUR 422.3 million (+11.3%)
- – EBITDA grows to EUR 62.0 million (+15.2%)
- – Annual result climbs to EUR 27.8 million (+39.7%)
- – Dividend increase from EUR 0.77 per share to EUR 1.00 pershare planned
Trostberg, 24 February 2022 – Alzchem Group AG, a vertically integrated specialty chemicals supplier with a leading market position in selected niche markets, can look back on an extremely successful fiscal year 2021. Despite COVID-19, supply shortages, extremely volatile raw material prices, severely impacted logistics chains and freight bottlenecks, Alzchem successfully performed as a robust company – primarily thanks to its broad product portfolio and “Verbund production”, which once again proved to be a key component of raw material supply and production planning. Thus, Alzchem succeeded in exceeding the previous year’s figures for sales, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), and result for the period in all four quarters of 2021. Over the year as a whole, consolidated sales rose by 11.3% to EUR 422.3 million (2020: EUR 379.3 million). The two segments Specialty Chemicals (+6.3%) and Basics & Intermediates (+20.4%) contributed equally to this new record figure. Growth in the metallurgy, pharmaceutical raw materials and human nutrition (Creapure®) markets in particular, flanked by high capacity utilization in the multi-purpose plants, had a positive impact on the sales increase of the Group.
On the earnings side, Alzchem also achieved new highs. The significant cost increases for energy and raw materials were at least partially offset by early stockpiling, production cost savings as a result of the “AlzFit 2025” optimization project, and contractually fixed price escalator clauses. In terms of earnings, EBITDA increased by 15.2% to EUR 62.0 million (2020: EUR 53.8 million), thus reaching a new record level. The resulting EBITDA margin was 14.7% (2020: 14.2%). Consolidated annual result increased significantly by 39.7% to EUR 27.8 million (2020: EUR 19.9 million). Due to the extremely positive business development in 2021, the Management Board and Supervisory Board will propose to the Annual General Meeting to distribute a dividend of EUR 1.00 (previous year: EUR 0.77).
Andreas Niedermaier, CEO of Alzchem Group AG: “Our company has performed very successfully in an extremely challenging environment in 2021. We were able to fully meet our forecast, which was adjusted upwards in July, and thus very significantly exceed our original targets for sales and EBITDA. In addition, we succeeded in commissioning two further major projects in 2021 within an ambitious cost and schedule framework. While the expanded NITRALZ® production capacities are having a positive impact on sales volumes and revenue development, the new regenerative thermal exhaust air purification plant is making an additional contribution to environmental protection. Our highly motivated and extremely flexible team of employees also made a very significant contribution to the successful fiscal year 2021, and I would like to express my sincere thanks to them for their tireless commitment and outstanding performance.”
The Alzchem Group is planning further growth for the fiscal year 2022. Forecasts call for a strong to particularly strong increase in sales (up to EUR 480 million) and, due to the still uncertain framework conditions (COVID-19, raw material supply, logistics), a noticeably declining to particularly strong increasing EBITDA (up to EUR 68 million). At the top of the priority list are the significant expansion and commissioning of the Creapure® production capacities by the end of the third quarter of 2022 at the latest, as well as even higher utilization of the NITRALZ® and Creamino® production capacities to further drive organic growth. In addition, the aim is to further exploit the potential of the products in the respective markets, to further optimize the product mix, to remain able to deliver at all times and, in doing so, to further secure margin development also through price adjustments.
The Annual Report 2021 is available for download on the website www.alzchem.com under Investor Relations/Publications.
About Alzchem
Alzchem is a globally active specialty chemicals company that is predominantly among the market leaders in its fields of activity. Alzchem benefits in particular from the three very different global developments of climate change, population growth and longer life expectancy. In order to achieve the resulting social goals, Alzchem products can offer attractive solutions with a wide range of different applications.
The company sees interesting growth prospects for itself especially in the areas of human and animal nutrition and agriculture. As a result of population growth, it is necessary to achieve efficient food production. Pharmaceutical raw materials and our creatine products can contribute to healthy aging as life expectancy increases. Alzchem is facing up to the goal of sustainability arising from climate change in the field of renewable energies and across the entire company. The fields of fine chemicals and metallurgy offer just as great a perspective.
The broad product range of Alzchem Group AG includes dietary supplements, precursors for corona tests and pharmaceutical raw materials. These products are our company’s response to global trends and developments. Alzchem is ideally positioned in this regard and sees itself as well equipped for an environmentally oriented future and global developments.
The company employs around 1,630 people at four production sites in Germany and one plant in Sweden, as well as two sales companies in the USA and China. In 2021, Alzchem generated consolidated sales of around EUR 422.3 million and EBITDA of around EUR 62.0 million.
