- Current operating profit up by 86%
- Growth in line with the 3-year development plan
| € millions – IFRS standards | S1 2007 | S2 2007 | 2007 | 2006 | Var. |
| Revenues | 36,7 | 41,8 | 78,5 | 69,5 | 13% |
| Current operating profit | 1,2 | 2,0 | 3,2 | 1,7 | 86% |
| in % of revenues | 3,3% | 4,8% | 4,1% | 2,4% | |
| Other products & operating expenses | (0,1) | (0,3) | (0,4) | (0,8) | (50%) |
| Operating profit | 1,1 | 1,7 | 2,8 | 0,9 | 211% |
| Financial profit or loss | (0,4) | (0,4) | (0,8) | (0,8) | |
| Tax burden | 0 | (0,3) | (0,3) | 0 | |
| Net profit | 0,7 | 1,0 | 1,7 | 0,1 |
Micropole-Univers, a European IT consultancy and integration company specializing in the fields of Business Intelligence, E-Business, CRM and ERP, has reported current operating profit of €3.2 million for 2007, i.e. 4.1% of revenues and a hike of 86.4% compared with the 2006 fiscal year.
The 13% growth in revenues over the 2006 fiscal year and the sharp improvement in productivity in 2007 have produced operating profit of €2.8 million. The tax charge integrates, in particular, some €0.8 million of deferred active tax incurred in 2004. The bottom line is net profit for the 2007 fiscal year of €1.7 million as opposed to €0.1 million in 2006.
The group’s equity capital amounts to €47.1 million for a stable available treasury of €8.3 million as at the end of 2007, compared with 2006. Business-generated cash-flows (+ €5.4 million) are also up sharply over the figure for 2006 (+ €3.8 million).
This clear-cut upturn in company profits reflects the relevance of the 3-year development plan introduced at the beginning of 2007, which focuses on both the financial aspects and the markets of Micropole-Univers.
As part of its 2007-2009 plan, Micropole-Univers obviously intends to pursue growth, focusing on its industrial model, i.e. supplying consultancy, integration and training services based on both acknowledged professional and technological expertise, and specific and discriminating product offerings that create value for clients.
2007 Highlights
Buoyed by a new product offer-based organization implemented at the beginning of 2007, each sector of Micropole-Univers business saw revenues rise sharply in 2007. The group’s headcount rose by 12% despite a relatively tight recruitment market.
- Consultancy business posted very high growth (up by 20%) both in Paris and in the regions, with in particular the opening of a consulting agency in the regions of Provence-Côte d’Azur and Rhône-Alpes. This positioning, based on high added-value, has helped put Micropole-Univers in a class of its own by addressing clients with a proven professional approach.
- For IT Services and Integration business, both Business Intelligence and e-Business, the group’s traditional hot spots of expertise, grew strongly in 2007 with respective growth of 18% and 7% compared with the year before.
This means that Micropole-Univers has retained and cushioned its leadership status in the field of Business Intelligence with the building of far-ranging professional applications.
The new partnership deals with Sygma RH, WebTrend, Pivotal, SAS, Neocase and Sparus have also helped to boost the roll-out of Micropole-Univers’ BI, e-Business and CRM activities for all the group’s units.
- The new ERP product introduced during 2007 recorded very fast growth with a team that had grown to around 40 experts by the end of the year. The company has signed partnership deals with leading players in this market segment, most notably with SAP and Qualiac.
- Buoyed by a new team, Training business also recorded higher turnover, up by 13% over 2006 with a like-to-like perimeter and, excluding non-recurring items, has returned to being a profitable concern. Growth should continue in 2008, particularly with training focused on Business Intelligence and E-Learning.
- The Group’s Swiss business reported growth in turnover of over 16% in 2007, despite a difference in conversion rates of €0.7 million. The 2007 fiscal year was marked in particular by the creation of business applications worth several million euros and by a sharp rise in the number of Business Intelligence projects.
Prospects for 2008
In phase with the 2007-2009 development plan, Micropole-Univers boasts a sound financial footing and the ability to mobilize additional resources that enable the Group to coolly envisage continued expansion at a sustained rate in 2008. The Consultancy and Integration company remains open to any external growth operation in France and in Europe when it comes to mid-sized profitable companies positioned in clearly-targeted sectors.
This growth dynamic will also be leaning on the partnerships and the new Professional & Technological products launched in 2007, plus the growth in the number of international engagements conducted on behalf of its clients. Some 400 new recruitments are scheduled for 2008 to support company growth.
Prospects for development in Switzerland remain excellent with the growing potential of services around Business Intelligence and new ERP and CRM products, plus Consulting engagements.
In France, Micropole-Univers intends to pursue growth in its key sectors (Health, BankingInsurance, Distribution, Telecommunications and Public Services), the roll-out of the Business Intelligence, e-Business and CRM products, and now today the ERP product for which prospects look highly promising.
In the field of Business Intelligence, the consolidation operations launched in 2007 by SAP, Oracle and IBM have helped Micropole-Univers to strengthen its European market leader status for the CPM (Corporate Performance Management) products from these major publishers.
“We have fully achieved our growth goals in 2007 in relation to our 3-year development plan and these 2007 results confirm the new growth dynamic running through Micropole-Univers,” said Group CEO Christian Poyau. “The relevance of the Micropole-Univers industrial model, initial successes with our new product offerings in 2007, the development of our Consulting business and the consolidation of our partnership policy mean we can approach 2008 with an easy mind and feel confident in our ability to develop the group’s revenues and continue to significantly improve operating profits.”
