"We had a stable financial performance in the first quarter, with currency-adjusted growth of almost 3%. The weakening of the Japanese yen affected our revenue negatively by 6 MSEK. Sequentially, we improved the operating margin to 9.7% compared to 7.8% in the fourth quarter 2023. We have not reached our goal yet, but we are on the right track. We continue to see strong momentum for Air Cleaners, growing by 29% in the quarter. Cleanrooms grew by 51% and we have a stronger than ever pipeline in the US as a result of investments in additional sales resources in the region. Cabin Solutions is down 15%, a direct consequence of the weaker Japanese yen," CEO Sebastian Lindström notes.
STABLE REVENUE AND OPERATING MARGIN
MSEK 119 Net revenue, -2%
MSEK 75 Recurring revenue, +1%
9.7% EBIT margin (15.9%)
January - March 2024 in brief
- Net revenue MSEK 119.1 (121.0), currency-adjusted net revenue amounted to MSEK 124.4
- Recurring revenue MSEK 75.2 (74.5)
- EBITDA MSEK 19.9 (24.8)
- EBITDA margin 16.7% (20.5%)
- Operating profit (EBIT) MSEK 11.6 (16.6)
- Operating margin 9.7% (13.7%)
- Operating profit (EBIT), adjusted MSEK 11.6 (19.2)
- Operating margin, adjusted 9.7% (15.9%)
- Earnings per share SEK 0.53 (0.68)
- Cash flow from current operations MSEK 0.2 (11.0)
Significant events during the first quarter
- QleanAir delivered 7.21 billion cubic meters of cleaned air per month at the end of the fourth quarter 2023
- Year-end report 2023
Significant events after the end of the period
- Notice of Annual General Meeting 2024 in QleanAir AB, including proposal for dividend of SEK 0.60 (0) per share
- Publication of the QleanAir Annual Report for 2023
A WORD FROM THE CEO
We had a stable financial performance in the first quarter, with currency-adjusted growth of almost 3%. The weakening of the Japanese yen affected our revenue negatively by 6 MSEK. Sequentially, we improved the operating margin to 9.7% compared to 7.8% in the fourth quarter 2023. We have not reached our goal yet, but we are on the right track.
We continue to see strong momentum for Air Cleaners, growing by 29% in the quarter. Cleanrooms grew by 51% and we have a stronger than ever pipeline in the US as a result of investments in additional sales resources in the region. Cabin Solutions is down 15%, a direct consequence of the weaker Japanese yen.
CONTINUED INVESTMENTS IN EMEA
In Europe, we continue to see customer restraint due to the geopolitical situation and higher interest rates. Closing deals takes longer today. In addition, the geopolitical situation has been further aggravated by events in the Middle East. Nevertheless, we see growth in EMEA of 4% for the quarter and we expect our investments to contribute to further growth and strengthen our margins over time. Among other things, we have invested in additional sales resources in France. France is one of our focus markets and showed strong growth in the first quarter. Furthermore, we have strengthened the product and development side of our business to lay the foundation for additional application areas where we see strong demand. We continue our regional efforts to strengthen our proximity to customers.
CONTINUED FOCUS ON GROWTH IN APAC
Japan developed as planned in the first quarter. The Japanese yen has weakened by around 11% against the Swedish krona, which negatively impacted revenue and earnings in Swedish kronor. Cabin Solutions is in line with expectations and Air Cleaners had very strong growth in the quarter. We see a strong demand for air cleaners from the industrial sector and also in HEPA-14 related air cleaning. In Japan, we have positive expectations for 2024 with a clear strategy to broaden sales to SMEs in Cabin Solutions. To reach this wider customer group, we have developed a new cabin which will be launched shortly. So far, our investment in Air Cleaners in Japan has offered a return exceeding our expectations. During the first quarter, we have increased training efforts for the sales and service organization as a further strengthening in industrial air cleaning.
FOCUS ON GROWTH AND PROFITABILITY IN THE AMERICAS
In the US, we have initiated a number of actions that we expect to pay off in 2024 and beyond and we can see in the first quarter that the level of activity was high and that we are doing the right things. We are starting to see the effects of our cost reduction measures initiated in the fall of 2023. The numbers are starting to move in the right direction.
BUSINESS MODEL
The QleanAir business model is built on a combination of rental and sales, including service. Revenue amounted to MSEK 119.1 (121.0) for the quarter, a decrease of 1.6%, but an increase of 2.8% currency-adjusted. Our recurring revenue increased to MSEK 75.2 (74.5), a growth of 1%.
As a company, we know where we are heading. We have great opportunities to create value. Our business model is circular, our products have a long life with our customers through our strong service model and at the end of the contract we recondition the product to give it a new lease of life with the next customer.
We clean indoor air by reducing harmful particles. The working environment for people is improved. Furthermore, the quality of customers' products and the efficiency of their processes is improved. We work systematically to achieve growth combined with profitability.
OUTLOOK
We need to further strengthen our profitability and continue our focus on our three priorities; Customer focus, Sales efficiency and Cost control. In parallel, we have started the more strategic work on developing our product range.
A number of measures have been initiated that we expect to yield results in 2024 and beyond, and we can see in the first quarter that the figures are starting to move in the right direction.
In conclusion, I would like to thank all our dedicated employees, our customers and partners for the good cooperation.
Solna, May 8, 2024
Sebastian Lindström, CEO QleanAir AB
For more information, please contact
Sebastian Lindström, CEO
sebastian.lindstrom@qleanair.com
+46 703 08 94 51
Henrik Resmark, CFO
henrik.resmark@qleanair.com
+46 702 60 09 17
About QleanAir
QleanAir is a niche premium provider of clean indoor environment solutions. The company's business model is based on rental contracts for modular solutions with a full-service offer. QleanAir's solutions are developed using filter technology that traps, filters and recycles indoor air. The company's main markets are EMEA, APAC and the Americas. QleanAir's head office is located in Solna, Sweden, and the share is traded on Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market, ticker QAIR. FNCA Sweden is Certified Advisor. For more information go to qleanair.com.
This information is information that QleanAir AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 2024-05-08 08:00 CEST.
