Post Close Trading Update

IQE plc

Cardiff, UK. 25th January 2019: IQE plc (AIM: IQE; "IQE", the “Company” or the "Group"), the leading global supplier of advanced wafer products and materials solutions to the semiconductor industry, provides the following post close trading update.

IQE expects to deliver revenues of not less than £156m for FY 2018 (FY 2017 £154.5m) and Adjusted EBITDA of at least £27.5m (FY 2017 £37.0m). Net Cash at 31 December 2018 was £20.8m (31 December 2017 £45.6m). On 24 January 2019, the Company agreed a new $35m multi-currency revolving credit facility (the “Facility”), provided by HSBC and which is secured over the assets of IQE. The Facility has a three-year term and an interest rate margin of between 1.45 and 1.95 per cent per annum over LIBOR on any drawn balances. The Facility is undrawn.

As previously announced, the Company is closing its facility in New Jersey (“NJ”) in order to consolidate its US based GaN manufacturing capacity in its existing Massachusetts (“MA”) facility. The cost of the NJ closure is estimated to be £3.35m, of which £1.2m will comprise the cash costs of severance and reactor decommissioning, with £2.15m of non-cash impairments. These costs will be an exceptional charge in the FY 2018 accounts. IQE expects to achieve annual operating cost savings of approximately £3m per annum, post the closure.

The Company also expects to incur an additional exceptional charge of approximately £4.5m, relating to an onerous lease accounting provision for the period through to the end of the lease in Q2 2022, for the unused and unlet space in its Singapore facility. This exceptional provision has no cash impact.

The company reiterates 2019 and longer term guidance and will publish its full year-end results on 20th March 2019.

Dr Drew Nelson, Chief Executive of IQE, said:

“It is of course very disappointing that a substantial inventory correction in the first half of 2018 and the sudden disruption in a significant supply chain and short-term demand for VCSEL wafers in November materially impacted our expected 2018 revenues and profitability. However, the position and prospects of IQE will not be defined by our 2018 financial results which were delivered with none of the benefits of the investment programs which are now nearing completion.

"By the end of H1 2019 we will have completed a significant two-year investment program across our global operations, commissioning our new mega-foundry in Newport which is dedicated to photonics, installing additional wireless capacity in Taiwan, expanding our GaN capacity in MA and Infrared capacity in Milton Keynes. In addition, we have made a considerable investment in engaging with more than 25 VCSEL chip companies underscoring IQE’s exceptional leadership position in the emerging VCSEL supply chains based on our technical excellence, proven ability to ramp and dedicated commitment to install capacity. We will bring additional photonics capacity into production in Phase 1 (first 10 reactors) in the new Newport foundry during H1 2019, with 12 companies already actively qualifying the new facility.

"The investment we have made in rationalisation, capacity and new products and the opportunity that this has created will deliver strong performance across our wireless, photonics and infra-red business units in the key sector areas of sensing, connectivity and energy, leading to margin expansion, increasing free cash flow and profitability in 2019 and beyond”.

The information contained within this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS
VCSEL......................... Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser
GaN............................. Gallium Nitride
Adjusted EBITDA…….  EBITDA after adjusting for the impact of one-off, non-cash and non-operational items

CONTACTS:

ABOUT IQE

http://iqep.com


IQE is the leading global supplier of advanced semiconductor wafers that enable a diverse range of applications, supported by an innovative outsourced foundry services portfolio that allows the Group to provide a 'one stop shop' for the wafer needs of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers.


IQE uses advanced crystal growth technology (epitaxy) to manufacture and supply bespoke semiconductor wafers 'epi-wafers' to the major chip manufacturing companies, who then use these wafers to make the chips which form the key components of virtually all high technology systems. IQE is unique in being able to supply wafers using all of the leading crystal growth technology platforms.


IQE's products are found in many leading-edge consumer, communication, computing and industrial applications, including a complete range of wafer products for the wireless industry, such as smartphones and wireless infrastructure, Wi-Fi, base stations, and satellite communications; optical communications, optical storage, printing, thermal imagers, leading-edge medical technologies, automotive and aerospace technologies, a variety of advanced silicon based systems and high efficiency concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) solar cells.


IQE operates multiple manufacturing and R&D facilities worldwide.