Carclo benefits from touch screen technology boom

CARCLO today said that it has made a positive start to its new financial year.

The Ossett-based technical plastics group said trading is in line with the board’s expectations and its Conductive Inkjet Technology (CIT) operation is well placed to supply coated film used in XSense touch screen technology for smartphones, tablet PCs and notebooks by US corporation Atmel.

Atmel has estimated that the market for touch sensors is more than $5bn annually and a recent report by NPD Display Search forecasts the market to increase from 12 million square meters shipped in 2012 to 35.9 million square meters in 2015 as a result of the dramatic growth in mobile applications.  
 
Carlco said that this was “very encouraging” for CIT’s Fine Line Technology business which is now starting to see increased revenues from the sale of coated film.

“Based on Atmel’s adjusted XSense revenue guidance for calendar year 2013 and its confirmation of 2014 revenue guidance we anticipate that CIT’s revenues will be in the range of £4 – 7m for the financial year ending 31 March 2014. Growth prospects for subsequent financial years are substantial.”
 
Carclo, which makes injection moulded plastic components, which are used in medical, optical and electronics products including the lights of supercars, said new business activity has been strong in its operating businesses including technical plastics, LED technologies while in precision engineering it said its aerospace businesses continue to perform “satisfactorily”.
 
“As usual, due to working days and seasonality, the group will generate a greater proportion of its operating profits in the second half of the year, and this year we expect this effect to be exaggerated by the second half increase in CIT coated film sales.  The group’s financial position remains strong and the outlook for the year as a whole remains very positive.”