Mar 31, 2010. /Lesprom Network/. Order volumes at Homag Group AG have improved considerably again after a poor fiscal 2009, company said in a statement received by Lesprom Network. "Our customers are increasingly willing to invest again, which makes us very optimistic that the worst is behind us. This is why we anticipate double-digit percentage growth in order intake and sales revenue for 2010, and we aim to generate sales revenue of more than Euro 600 million (2009: Euro 524 million)”, says CEO Rolf Knoll. For the 1Q 2010, the management board anticipates an order volume almost double that of the, albeit very poor, first three months of 2009, and 10% higher than the already favorable 4Q 2009 (Euro 131 million). At the same time, however, Knoll concedes that the effects of the economic crisis are still tangible, and that "despite positive trends, we are still well below the level from before the crisis, particularly with regard to the prices being attained on the market”. Overall capacity utilization has risen throughout the group, and some group companies are even back to running at full capacity once again. The company also intends to improve its results in 2010. CFO Andreas Hermann anticipates a "slightly positive result”, subject to the condition that demand remains stable in the German-speaking countries. The result for certain individual quarters, however, may still be negative. The Homag Group intends to follow through with cost-cutting measures, particularly in the fields of investment and other operating expenses. Personnel measures already introduced will be concluded in the course of fiscal 2010. This will result in another slight decline in the number of employees in the course of 2010. Andreas Hermann believes that "as things stand, the headcount of Homag Group will settle at just over 4,800 employees.” Sales revenue in 2009 fell 39% to Euro 524 million (prior year: Euro 856 million) and order intake fell 33% to Euro 413 million (prior year: Euro 618 million). Demand throughout the industry fell even more steeply, enabling Homag Group to increase its market share despite the crisis. In the course of 2009, the group was able to improve its sales revenue and order intake from quarter to quarter, with the result that the order backlog as of December 31, 2009 (Euro 171 million) was already above the prior-year value (Euro 164 million). Despite the massive cuts implemented by the Homag Group by means of a number of measures to adjust capacity and reduce costs, the steep drop in sales revenue resulted in a significant decline in results. EBITDA fell to Euro 15.6 million before extraordinary expenses for restructuring measures (Euro 12.4 million) and before the effect from employee profit participation (prior year: Euro 95.0 million). EBIT before extraordinary/one-off expenses and before employee participation came to Euro -10.2 million (prior year: Euro 72.8 million) and EBT to EUR -19.4 million (prior year: Euro 63.0 million) on the same basis. The net loss for the year after minority interests comes to Euro -20.7 million (prior year: Euro 31.9 million).