Press Release

• Order intake significantly exceeds previous year
• Sales development still weak
• EBIT as planned

Kahl/Main, April 29, 2010. The order intake in the 1st quarter 2010 of  the SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG (SINGULUS) developed favorably compared with the same quarter one year ago (1st quarter 2009: € 17.4 million) and came to € 39.8 million This level was also significantly higher than the order intake in the 4th quarter 2009 (€ 25.1 million). As expected the sales trend in the 1st quarter 2010 was still weak. At € 21.6 million sales in the 1st quarter 2010 mainly reflect the global economic crisis in the year 2009 and the resulting weak business activities within the optical disc and solar sector. Project activities only started to recover towards the end of 2009 and new orders for the two segments Optical Disc and Solar were received in the 1st quarter 2010.
 
In the period under review the total operating expenses amounted to € 12.4 million and were thus significant € 4.1 million less than in the prior-year period (€ 16.5 million). Adjusted for restructuring charges in the period one year ago the decline amounted to € 1.2 million.
 
The gross margin in the 1st quarter stood at 32.5 %, slightly below the level of the prior-year period (33.2 %). In the 1st quarter 2010 earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) in the amount of € -5.5 million were realized. The number of employees in the SINGULUS Group continued to decline from 572 employees as of December 31, 2009 to 483 employees as of March 31, 2010. The decline predominantly results from the disposal of the HamaTech APE GmbH & Co. KG.
 
Outlook
The crisis of the global economy had a strong impact on the business activities of the SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG in 2009. The impact will be visible in the first quarter of the current business year as well. So far, there are no reliable forecasts on how quickly the expected recovery will materialize.
 
However, on a favorable note, the project activities in both segments Optical Disc and Solar once again improved sharply at SINGULUS. The order intake in the 1st quarter reflects this. In the Optical Disc division the sharp increase in Blu-ray sales make us optimistic. In case of such growth rates disc manufacturers will quickly reach their capacity limits and have to invest in new production equipment. First orders in the 1st quarter prove this.
 
In the Solar segment an economic recovery has already become visible since the beginning of 2010. In many regions of the world the generation of electricity with photovoltaics will continue to expand. On that account SINGULUS offers modern plant systems, which provide cost reduction potential for the cell manufacturers in the production process. The strategic transition from a pure single machine provider towards a system supplier will open new opportunities for the company. The company's goal is to build a strong market position for production equipment for solar cells in the next couple of years and to benefit from the upcoming growth in the solar market.
 
SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES is market leader in the optical disc segment and actively launched new products in the solar segment. For the year 2010 the Executive Board and the entire management targets to break-even on an EBIT basis.