ALSTOM booked €1.6 billion of orders in the third quarter 2014/15, compared to €2.5 billion over the same period last year, which included the Riyadh metro (€1.2 billion). The Group's sales, at €1.5 billion, were up 10 percent organically over the third quarter 2013/14. For the first nine months of 2014/15 (from April 1 to Dec. 31, 2014), Alstom's order intake reached €8.0 billion, a 52 percent increase compared to the first nine months of 2013/14. The Group's sales amounted to €4.6 billion, up 12 percent organically compared to the first nine months of 2013/14.
At €27 billion on 31 December 2014, the backlog represented over 4 years of sales.
"The third quarter 2014/15 showed a good level of orders, fuelled by small to mid-sized contracts. Sales grew at a steady pace, up 10 percent organically. We confirm our full-year guidance of a high single digit organic sales growth and an operating margin (after corporate costs) over 5 percent. We also confirm our free cash-flow guidance. Our shareholders showed a strong support for the GE transaction at our EGM on 19 December with over 99 percent of the votes being positive. Filings for competition and regulatory authorizations are ongoing,” said Patrick Kron, Alstom's Chairman & Chief Executive Officer.
During the third quarter of 2014/15, Alstom recorded a sound level of orders, amounting to €1,615 million. Last year, Alstom booked a record level of €2,542 million for the third quarter, with a large turnkey metro project in Saudi Arabia (€1.2 billion). Main commercial successes for this quarter included signaling systems in Romania and in Egypt as well as a full metro system in Mexico.
Sales, at €1,501 million, were up 10 percent organically in the third quarter 2014/15 compared to the same period last year, mainly fueled by deliveries of regional or mainline trains in France, Germany and Italy as well as by high-speed trains in Switzerland and Poland and tramways in Dubai.
Over the first nine months of 2014/15, Transport's orders stood at €8,022 million, a 52 percent increase compared to the same period last year, thanks to a number of large orders booked over the period, including a €4 billion contract for suburban trains in South Africa. Sales reached €4,557 million, up 12 percent on a like-for-like basis compared to the first nine months of 2013/14. — SG
