ASM International has had a strong fourth quarter. This is evident from the figures published by the maker of chip machines. ASMI posted a turnover of 725 million euros in the last quarter of 2022 and a net profit of 237 million euros. CFO Paul Verhagen is very satisfied, but points out that the export restriction to China affects the company. ‘It has an impact.’
‘We have had a strong quarter, but also a strong year. We had a turnover growth of more than 33 percent, good margins, two acquisitions and we have taken many steps in the field of sustainability. We have made progress on all fronts,’ says Verhagen.
The export restriction of chip machines to China does affect the company, says the CFO. Verhagen expects that between 10 and 25 percent of sales will go to China, which corresponds to 3 percent of total sales. ‘It’s limited, but still, it has an impact.’
While lower revenue usually translates to less investment in research and innovation, ASMI invested heavily in R&D in 2022 and will continue to do so in 2023. Verhagen does not foresee any problems in the near future now that more and more countries are starting to ‘insource’ and start producing chips themselves in order to become strategically autonomous.
“Chips are hot”
Chips are hot. You can see that chips are being pulled in all regions to invest locally and build a stronger industry.’ Verhagen calls this a positive development that is expected to continue in the coming years. ‘Everything with a plug has a chip in the device.’ Not only is the number of applications for chips increasing, the amount of chips per application is also increasing.
