28th May 2013 07:00
28 May 2013
21st Century Technology plc
("21st Century", "the Company" or "the Group")
AGM Trading Update
21st Century, the supplier and installation service provider of public transport CCTV and vehicle monitoring systems is holding its Annual General Meeting today at 10.30 am at Units 3 & 4 ZK Park, 23 Commerce Way, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 4ZS.
Chairman, Jan Holmstrom, will make the following statement:
"For the five months to 27 May 2013, our trading results are ahead of the Board's expectations but, as in prior years, the Group's sales targets are weighted toward the second half of the year. Generally the market does remain subdued and consequently we are encountering delays in progressing a number of potential sales. Given the value of these, the Board currently expects revenues for the full year to be similar to those achieved in the year to 31 December 2012 at around £14m.
These previously anticipated new sales have been impacted by a number of significant overseas customers needing to obtain funding from local transport authorities before committing to new projects whilst others, who are trialling EcoManager, potentially now being obligated to go through tender processes because of the large value of these contracts.
In the UK, business with our existing customers continues to be robust and we await the outcome of a significant renewal tender. We are developing new opportunities in our Rail CCTV division and recurring revenue streams from maintenance contracts with our existing bus CCTV customers but progressing new customer opportunities in the UK bus market is proving slower than expected.
We remain committed to our strategy of investing in sales resource to identify and build upon opportunities, particularly overseas where our operations continue to build momentum, and we are also investing in securing intellectual property and other product rights to underpin the value of the business. We now intend to increase investment in new projects, expanding our operations in the UK and establishing specialist local sales teams in key overseas markets by approximately £0.5m in total. Excluding such investment costs, we expect the underlying profitability before tax of the Group for this year to be in line with that achieved in 2011 at £1.5m.
We believe our ambitious business development plans will give the Company a solid platform for sustainable growth in future years.
Cash reserves are currently standing at £2.5m which has given the Board the confidence to support new business development and the resolution to be put forward at the AGM today to pay a dividend of 0.7 pence per share."
David Voss has informed the Board of his intention to retire as a non-executive director after 11 years of service. The Board has initiated a search for a replacement and David will stand down on an appointment being made.
Ends
Enquiries:
21 Century Technology plc |
Wilson Jennings |
Tel: 0203 651 9172 |
www.21stplc.com | CEO | |
finnCap Limited | Tel: 0207 220 0500 | |
Nominated Adviser | Matt Goode/Henrik Persson | |
Corporate Broking | Tom Jenkins/Simon Starr | |
MHP Communications | Barnaby Fry/Vicky Watkins | Tel: 020 3128 8100 |
Notes to editors:
21st Century Technology plc (AIM: C21), a leading supplier of public transport CCTV and other monitoring systems, was admitted to trading on AIM, a market operated by the London Stock Exchange, in 2005.
21st Century is the preferred supplier of on-board CCTV systems for Arriva UK Bus, the Go-Ahead Group, FirstGroup UK Bus and Keolis Sverige AB in Stockholm.
The Company has pioneered the use of WiFi with on-board CCTV systems and Transport for London commissioned the Company to undertake a trial of 'LiveView' - a system which transmits live CCTV pictures from on board the bus to a public transport and police control centre. 21st Century was also the first company to successfully launch Automatic Video Downloads and a bus CCTV monitoring system (HeartbeatTM) which allow the CCTV manager to remotely download CCTV footage from the bus to his computer and check that all the CCTV systems fitted to his buses are fully operational, without leaving his desk. The company's passenger counting systems utilise active infrared sensors at every exit/entry point or overhead cameras linked to the ticket machine to enable bus operators to analyse specific bus route ticket sales and passenger numbers.
21st Century's EcoManager product has made a significant contribution to sales since its launch in July 2008. The EcoManager black-box system is aimed at reducing fuel and maintenance costs, reducing emissions and improving safety for bus operators by monitoring individual driving styles. Following a successful trial in 2009, Arriva UK committed to install the device on all their new buses and to retrofit a large proportion of their existing fleet. Later that year Arriva North West and Merseytravel won the industry recognised Alexander Dennis Award for Innovation following their installation of the EcoManager system which yielded fuel savings of up to 12%, associated CO2 emission reductions and a 62% reduction in accidents. This was followed in 2010 with a driver safety award for EcoManager presented by the road safety charity, Brake and in 2011; Arriva Wirral was presented with the Environmental Award by Wirral Investment Network in recognition of the environmental benefits achieved by the company as a result of the installation of EcoManager to its fleet of buses. For further information go to www.getecomanager.com.
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