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| Tuesday, November 27, 2007 | ||||||
Singapore – 27 November 2007 – SATO, a pioneer in the Automatic Identification and Data Collection (AIDC) industry and a leader in barcode printing, labeling, and EPC/RFID solutions, announced its financial results for the first half of fiscal year 2007. The consolidated sales for April to September 2007 was the highest ever for a half-year result of SATO, with US$365 million, up by 7.5% from last year’s, while the operating income was US$20 million, up by 9.7% from last year’s. Outside of Japan, printer unit shipment marked a strong 50% increase from last year’s first half. The overseas sales grew 12% versus last year, driven primarily by increased deals from the transportation and retail industries in the US, and by the upward trend in the economies of Thailand and China especially in the manufacturing sector. On the other hand, the operating income (up by US$2 million from last year) was negatively impacted by continued restructuring efforts put into formerly acquired Checkpoint / METO businesses in Europe, which were necessary one-time costs for sustainable future returns. “While the European restructuring remains as our key challenge, our business is growing strongly on a global basis and we are confident that all necessary restructuring measures in Europe can be completed within this fiscal year so as to further accelerate our growth momentum,” said Kaz Matsuyama, Managing Director of SATO International. For Investor Relations, please visit http://www.sato.co.jp/english/ir/index.html About SATO SATO is publicly listed on the first section of Tokyo Stock Exchange in Japan. It has worldwide offices in the United States, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Poland, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and China. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007, it reported revenues of US$705 million. More information about SATO Corporation can be found at www.sato.co.jp/english About SATO International |
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