LANXESS proved robust in the first quarter of the year – despite the weak economic environment due to the coronavirus pandemic. Earnings in the new ‘consumer protection’ segment and in the ‘specialty additives’ segment developed positively, significantly mitigating the impact of the coronavirus crisis. Exchange rate effects, particularly from the US dollar, also had a positive impact. By contrast, a further decline in demand from the automotive industry as a result of the coronavirus crisis had a negative effect on earnings, particularly in the engineering materials segment. EBITDA pre-exceptionals declined by 9.9 per cent from EUR 272 million to EUR 245 million in the first quarter of 2020. The EBITDA margin pre exceptionals amounted to 14.4 per cent after 15.7 per cent in the prior-year quarter.
“So far, we have been able to keep the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic within limits – mainly thanks to our balanced portfolio,” said Matthias Zachert, Chairman – Board of Management, LANXESS AG. “We know that we have not yet reached the peak of the crisis. However, we feel well-prepared, as we have a stable positioning and have taken extensive measures for crisis management. The most important thing is that our employees are mostly healthy and our plants are running.”
Group sales amounted to EUR 1.704 billion in the first quarter of 2020, down only slightly on the previous year’s figure of EUR 1.738 billion. The net income from continuing operation declined by 27.6 per cent from EUR 87 million to EUR 63 million.
In the second and third quarters, LANXESS expects the impact of the coronavirus pandemic to intensify. Based on the information currently available, the company expects EBITDA pre exceptionals for the second quarter to be between EUR 200 million and EUR 250 million. For 2020 as a whole, LANXESS now anticipates EBITDA pre exceptionals of EUR 800 million to EUR 900 million. The company was previously expecting annual earnings between EUR 900 million and EUR 1 billion. In the previous year, LANXESS had generated EBITDA pre exceptionals of EUR 1.019 billion.
Extensive package of measures for coronavirus crisis
At the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, LANXESS already took a wide range of measures to minimise the impact on the company. Employees’ health is the top priority. Using protective measures such as strict hygiene regulations, solutions to work from home for the majority of office workers and changes in the shift model, the infection rate among LANXESS employees has been kept low. So far, 31 employees worldwide have contracted coronavirus – 27 of them have already recovered.
The company’s ability to deliver has hardly been restricted to date. The largest production facilities remained in operation continuously. Only plants in China, Italy, India and Argentina were temporarily shut down, in some cases, based on government requirements.
The specialty chemicals company has also taken important steps to further strengthen its already good liquidity situation. In April, LANXESS announced that it would suspend its share buy-back programme until further notice. The company will also save between EUR 50 million and EUR 100 million by means of cost discipline in fiscal year 2020 and reduce its investment budget by around EUR 50 million by postponing projects. With the sale of its Currenta stake on 30th April, 2020, LANXESS realised an equity value of EUR 780 million (after deduction of net debt and pensions) and a profit participation of EUR 150 million (both pre tax).
“In order to meet the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, high liquidity is a top priority. We have now further increased our already strong liquidity position to around EUR 3 billion through the sale of our Currenta stake,” said Michael Pontzen, Chief Financial Officer, LANXESS AG.
Compensation reduction for Supervisory Board, Board of Management and top management level
In response to the major challenges posed by the corona crisis, the Supervisory Board, the Board of Management and top management of LANXESS have decided to waive parts of their compensation. The members of the Supervisory Board will waive 20 per cent of their compensation. For the members of the Board of Management and top-management level, the reduction relates to their bonus. Members of the Board of Management will receive a maximum payout rate of 50 per cent, fo...
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