Analytik Jena AG Repurchases All Shares in AJZ Engineering
- Realignment of project business initiated as announced
- Measures for restructuring the company planned, including spinning off parts of the company
- Acquisition has no effect on liquidity for Analytik Jena
Jena (Germany), October 8, 2013 — Analytik Jena AG (Prime Standard: AJA, ISIN: DE0005213508) has repurchased all shares in AJZ Engineering GmbH and holds 100.0 percent of the project company once again. Analytik Jena can thus now carry out urgently needed measures for restructuring the subsidiary, which in addition to its activities on the German market is particularly active in Russia and the Arabian markets, and press ahead with the planned realignment of the company.
“We want to accompany the business of AJZ Engineering to a successful conclusion of key projects in Russia and Libya by 2016. Our goal is to stabilize AJZ Engineering and to more strictly control the risks associated with the project business,” said Klaus Berka, CEO of Analytik Jena AG.
The purchase price, which is in the lower six-figure range, will be used to repay existing liabilities of the previous majority shareholder and thus will flow back to AJZ Engineering and Analytik Jena.
As part of the realignment of AJZ Engineering, Analytik Jena wants to focus on the core business in Russia and Germany and take measures to sell parts of the company and their assets to interested investors. Analytik Jena’s initial deliberations involve spinning off the parts of the organization that deal with business on the Arabian market in order to strengthen existing market positions of local organizations for the future and to open them up to new investors.
In 2008, Analytik Jena sold the 51-percent majority stake in AJZ Engineering to an investment company founded by the management of the project company and completely spun off the project business from the core instrument business. As a result of the dramatic effects of the worldwide financial and economic crisis in 2008/2009 on the business of AJZ Engineering, especially in Russia and other target markets, it was not possible to successfully develop the company independently from Analytik Jena as planned. As a result, Analytik Jena continued to have to back the majority of AJZ Engineering’s deals by providing guarantees to customers, banks, or insurances and also had to make additional funds available to secure liquidity.
“Analytik Jena does not intend to integrate the project business as an additional core business. Instead, we want to make quick progress with the restructuring process that has already been begun and completely realign the business and structures of AJZ Engineering by making use of the existing know-how of experienced employees. Our measures are supported and accompanied by the Group,” Berka continued.
Analytik Jena, which is planning to fully consolidate AJZ Engineering by 2016, is expecting the subsidiary to have a positive cash flow with good operating results in the next two financial years. AJZ Engineering is expecting sales of approx. EUR 40.0 million for the next two financial years. The order backlog currently amounts to around EUR 100.0 million.