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(1)Unaudited figures
As in 2014, the 4th quarter represented the best quarter for the year for the ECA group (+13.7% vs. 4Q 2014) which continued along the positive trend recorded over the first nine months of the year (+11.1%).
Annual revenue is at a very good level, with growth across all of the core businesses in comparison to 2014, and in particular in the Robotics and Integrated Systems core businesses (+16.6%) and Simulation (+16.4%).
The strong sales dynamic that the group has been able to generate over the course of the past year made it possible for it to exceed the objective of €100M in revenue announced at the beginning of 2015, posting €105.2M.
Outlook
Orders are up sharply at €105M in 2015 (+6.4% vs. 2014), which has made it possible to maintain a stable order book despite the growth of revenue.
The group's outlooks are positive in the three core businesses.
The Robotics and Integrated Systems business is particularly dynamic in terms of R&D. After the development of the AUV A18 in 2014, which was cemented by the first commercial success and the first sale of the A18D (see press release of March 5, 2015), the group enlarged its range of land robots with the launch of the IGUANA, a compact and very modular robot, which meets the most recent requirements expressed by the Defense and Security clients.
In parallel, competence in "airborne drones" was highly structured during the course of the fiscal year. From a technological point of view, the group reinforced its product offer with the launching during the MILIPOL salon (see press release of November 12, 2015) of the captive version of the IT180, which supplemented the already constituted range of rotary-wing electric and/or thermal UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). From a commercial point of view, the group announced the creation of a service company dedicated to airborne drones, ECA DRONE. The purpose of this structure is to provide services to support the range of UAV IT180 drones and to handle their maintenance. It constitutes a key element for the development of the IT180 in civil applications, which represent a strong commercial potential for the group.
Also, the group announced at the start of the year 2016 that it had sold eleven UAV IT180 airborne drones for an amount exceeding €3M, all deliverable in 2016.
Thus, given the numerous developments of this core business, the year 2016 should be particularly rich in responses to complex calls to tender, with the objective of furnishing robot systems which cooperate with each other, and which possess an ever-growing autonomy.
The Simulation business posted growth for the year 2015 of +16.4%. Like the Robotics and Integrated Systems business, the year 2015 was rich in terms of R&D. The group did in fact unveil, during the course of the MILIPOL salon, its upmarket latest-generation military simulators, designed to meet training requirements in the operation of modern light military land vehicles. The business thus continues its expansion into the market for tactical or mission simulators, a market in which the group has already been rewarded with some significant successes.
The Aerospace business, which experienced a disappointing 1st half for 2015 (-20.0%), because of a 1st half in 2014 which was particularly successful, delivered a good performance over the second half (+23.0% vs. H2 2014). It should continue along this positive trend over the next quarters, owing to the revenue generated by a contract for more than €10 million awarded by Airbus in April 2015 (see press release of April 22, 2015). The order book experienced net growth of 32% in comparison to early 2015.
The group considers itself to be well-positioned to win numerous major calls to tender over all of its markets, and, in this context, is aiming a revenue of over €110M for 2016.
