Brockhaus Capital Management AG: Technology group BCM with revenue growth in the first half of 2020 despite effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

PRESS RELEASE

Technology group BCM with revenue growth in the first half of 2020 despite effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

– BCM Group achieves revenue of € 23.2 million; +1% growth compared to H1 2019

– Previous expectation of a “revenue decline in the high single-digit percentage range” for H1 2020 was clearly exceeded

– Environmental Technologies segment (Palas) with strong operating development

– Security Technologies segment (IHSE) due to project postponements on the customer side broadly at prior-year level

Frankfurt/Main, September 29, 2020. Brockhaus Capital Management AG (BKHT, ISIN: DE000A2GSU42, “BCM”), a long-term oriented technology group focused on acquiring high-margin and high-growth technology champions within the German Mittelstand, published its results for the first half of 2020 on September 29, 2020.

In the first half of 2020, BCM Group achieved revenue of € 23.2 million despite the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This corresponds to an organic growth of about +1% compared to the
(pro forma) period of the previous year. As a result, the expectation published in connection with the listing of BCM of a “revenue decline in the high single-digit percentage range” for the first half of 2020 was clearly exceeded with positive revenue growth. On a non-pro forma basis, i.e. including inorganic growth from acquisitions, revenue growth as compared to previous year’s period was +305%. With an adjusted EBITDA of € 4.7 million, BCM additionally kept the margin with 20.4% broadly stable at the same level as in the first quarter of 2020.

“The BCM Group was able to satisfactorily manage the uncertainties caused by the pandemic to date. In particular, the new products of our subsidiary Palas for the testing and quality assurance of respiratory masks have been in great demand in recent months and enabled us to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Our organic growth in these difficult economic times confirms my view that we, as a technology group, are well positioned for the future” says Marco Brockhaus, CEO of BCM.

Strong demand for newly developed devices of Palas for testing the filter efficiency of respiratory masks

Particularly the Environmental Technologies segment, consisting of Palas, developed very positively in the reporting period. Palas increased revenue by +4.2% to € 6.0 million compared to H1 2019. One of the reasons for this is that, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, public interest in the topics of “aerosols” and the effectiveness of respiratory masks has increased significantly. Palas is one of the leading developers and manufacturers of high-precision instruments for the measurement, characterization, and generation of smallest particles in air (such as fine dust and nanoparticles). Based on its leading technology, Palas was able to develop and successfully launch new filter test rigs for respiratory masks already in Q1 2020. These test rigs are being used, among others, by the German government for the import of masks from China, but also directly on site in hospitals as well as in nursing and elderly homes.

Continued travel and contact restrictions affect the installation of IT infrastructure projects on the side of IHSE customers

The Security Technologies segment, consisting of IHSE, remained with a revenue of € 17.2 million and a decline of -0.5% in the reporting period almost at the level of H1 2019. This was mainly because the installation of numerous complex IT infrastructure projects could not yet be realized by IHSE’s customers due to ongoing travel and contact restrictions. This resulted in clear shifts in sales and order intake for IHSE. The company develops, manufactures, and sells high-performance network technology for the highly secure, low latency and loss-free transmission of data in “mission critical” applications such as, for example, control rooms for police and fire departments, air traffic control or also hospitals. Considering the critical nature of this KVM technology (Keyboard, Video, Mouse), significant catch-up effects are expected with a weakening of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our business model and the technology leadership of our subsidiaries make us confident that we will grow sustainably over the long term, even though the short term development will of course be subject to high uncertainties in the light of the current pandemic” says Dr. Marcel Wilhelm, COO of BCM.

The financial report for the first half of 2020 is now available at https://ir.bcm-ag.com/publications.

Financial Calendar

November 24, 2020 Quarterly Statement 9M 2020
 

About Brockhaus Capital Management

Brockhaus Capital Management AG (BKHT, ISIN: DE000A2GSU42, “BCM”), based in Frankfurt/Main, is a technology group acquiring high-margin and high-growth technology champions with B2B business models in the German Mittelstand. With a unique platform approach and a long-term horizon, BCM actively and strategically supports its subsidiaries in achieving long-term profitable growth beyond industry and country boundaries. At the same time, BCM offers a gateway into these non-listed German technology champions, which are otherwise inaccessible to capital market investors.
 

Contact Details

For investors:

Brockhaus Capital Management – Paul Göhring
Head of Investor Relations
Phone: +49 69 20 43 40 978
Fax: +49 69 20 43 40 971
E-Mail: goehring@bcm-ag.com

For media:

USC – Iris C. Sistemich
Phone: +49 221 280 655 10
E-Mail: presse@us-communications.de