27 March 2024
LPA Group plc
("LPA" or the "Group")
AGM 2024 - Chairman's Statement
At the AGM of the Group to be held at 12.00 noon
later today, Robert B Horvath, Chairman, will make the following
statement:
"The first quarter's trading has been as anticipated.
Sales levels were largely on target, good order books remain and we
are seeing an increased level of activity particularly into FY25
(financial year to 30 Sept 2025). The second quarter of FY24 will
be affected by late cable shipments which are now coming around the
Cape but this will be made up in our third quarter.
As we announced on 20 March 2024, both LPA Connection
Systems and LPA Lighting Systems have been adversely affected by a
change in the call off schedules for three key Rail contracts,
including the Piccadilly line underground trains scheduled for
deliveries to commence to end customer in July 2025. We are working
hard to analyse the impact on the business over the next 15 months
and to improve our commercial position but it is clear that the
return to profitability will be in our FY25 as some of the growth
and profit we were planning for FY24 will have been deferred a
further year. We will update the market as soon as we have
clarity.
In the meantime, operational gearing with increased
production volumes, together with ongoing management actions to
reshape sales mix towards higher margin product lines, is improving
EBITDA and cash flow from operating activities, compared to FY23.
Our cash position is good, our Bank facilities have been renewed
and we will pay out the deferred elements of our two recent
acquisitions from cash flow. Our aviation business is growing well
and while we will continue to be subject to call off schedules on
our large rail projects the management team are determined to
rebalance our business both organically and through further
acquisitions. As a Board, as previously announced, we have
recommended a restoration of dividend payments including the
payment of a final dividend following the AGM later today."
For further
information, please contact:
LPA Group
plc
Robert B Horvath, Chairman
Paul Curtis, Chief Executive Officer
Stuart Stanyard, Chief Financial Officer
|
Tel: +44 (0) 1799 512800
www.lpa-group.com
|
Cavendish Capital
Markets Limited (Nominated Adviser & Broker)
Corporate
Finance
Ed Frisby / Abigail Kelly
Corporate
Broking
Tim Redfern
|
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7220 0500
|
Hudson Sandler
(Financial PR)
Dan de Belder
Nick Moore
Francesca Rosser
|
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7796 4133
|
About LPA
LPA Group plc (AIM: LPA) is an
innovation-led engineering specialist in electronic and
electro-mechanical components and systems.
Focused on transport (rail and
aviation), defence, infrastructure and industrial markets and
supplying into hostile and challenging environments, LPA is known
for engineering solutions to improve product reliability, reducing
maintenance and life cycle costs.
The Group has three sites across the
UK, selling to customers in the UK and overseas. Two of these are
design and manufacturing sites: LPA Connection Systems -
electro-mechanical systems for rail, aviation and industrial, and
LPA Lighting Systems - LED lighting and electronic systems for rail
and infrastructure. The third site is LPA Channel Electric - a
value added distributer of engineered components for rail,
aerospace, and defence.
With over 160 years of UK design and
manufacture, and with origins in the first ever light installed in
'Electric Avenue', Brixton; innovation is core to LPA and to the
products and services supplied to our customers
worldwide.
For more information visit
www.lpa-group.com
The information contained within this announcement is
deemed to constitute inside information as stipulated under the
retained EU law version of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No.
596/2014 (the "UK MAR") which is part of UK law by virtue of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The information is disclosed
in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of
the UK MAR. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside
information is now considered to be in the public domain.