Growth and stable earnings

Summary of the first quarter, January – March 2015

Net sales amounted to SEK 431.8 M (411.4), up 5 percent.
EBITA totaled SEK 33.7 M (34.3), an EBITA margin of 7.8 percent (8.3).
Operating profit amounted to SEK 24.4 M (26.4) MSEK, and operating margin of 5.7 percent (6.4).
After-tax profit increased to SEK 19.6 M (19.2).
Earnings per share after dilution rose to SEK 0.66 (0.65).
Cash flow from operating activities amounted to SEK 40.5 M (71.8).

Significant events during the first quarter, January-March 2015

Joint venture formed for development of Internet of Things applications
Contract-award decision received for planning and monitoring system valued at approximately SEK 35 M, which was subsequently appealed
Framework agreement signed with the Swedish National Heritage Board valued at approximately SEK 15 M
Strategic order secured – PLM partnership with Jula.
The Board of Directors proposes unchanged dividend of SEK 2.25 (2.25) per share.
Addnode Group signed an acquisition loan facility for SEK 200 M.

CEO's comments
Growth and solid results

Our growth rate is now at 5 percent for the first quarter of 2015 and we reported stable earnings compared with the year-earlier period. We are landing new projects and customers in the private sector and securing new agreements and contract-award decisions from customers in the public sector. We have numerous exciting projects in place for both the short and long term.
The Design Management business area displayed favorable growth driven by acquisitions. However, earnings for the quarter were impacted by the decline of the Norwegian economy. The PLM business area is now delivering stable results after establishing a higher earnings capacity in the preceding year. The Process Management business area displayed unchanged demand and we secured new orders. The trend for the Content Management business area remained positive, with improved margins.
We are currently one of the largest suppliers of operation-critical support systems for design and engineering operations in the Nordic region and we have a strong foothold in the UK. During the quarter, we formed a joint venture with the German company Transcat PLM under the management of the former President of one of the Dassault Systèmes companies. This new joint venture will focus on designing and building innovative industrial applications based on big data, allowing us to meet customer needs for applications that create business value through direct communication with products and machines in what is known as the Internet of Things.
We will continue to boost the content of products and software-as-a-service (SaaS) in our customer deliveries. Going forward, we will continue to expand both organically and through acquisitions, having identified both major and minor supplementary operations with excellent potential to further strengthen our already leading market positions.
Staffan Hanstorp, CEO and President