Asyst Reports Results for First Quarter of Fiscal 2009.FREMONT, Calif. -- Asyst Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASYT), the leader in Agile Automation[TM], today reported financial results for its fiscal first quarter ended June 30, 2008. Net loss for the fiscal first quarter according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. GAAP GAAP See: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles GAAP See generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). was $10.6 million, or $0.21 per share, which compares with $12.9 million, or $0.26 per share, in the prior sequential quarter. Non-GAAP net loss for the fiscal first quarter was $7.2 million, or $0.14 per share, which compares with a net loss of $10.3 million, or $0.21 per share, in the prior sequential quarter. Net sales Net Sales The amount a seller receives from the buyer after costs associated with the sale are deducted. Notes: This amount is calculated by subtracting the following items from gross sales: merchandise returned for credit, allowances for damaged or missing goods, freight for the fiscal first quarter were $100.3 million, which compares with $94.3 million in the prior sequential quarter. Net sales related to automated material handling systems (AMHS AMHS ATS Message Handling System (air traffic control) AMHS Alaska Marine Highway System AMHS Automated Message Handling System AMHS Aeronautical Message Handling System AMHS Academic Magnet High School ) were $67.6 million, which compares with $62.0 million in the prior sequential quarter. Net sales related to tool and fab automation solutions were $32.7 million, which compares with $32.3 million in the prior sequential quarter. Steve Schwartz Dr. Schwartz founded Unitrends in 1989 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Schwartz is considered the initial developer of a data recovery and restoration technique known as bare-metal restore and is recognized in the software industry as the developer of CTAR (Compressing Tape Archiver) and , chair and chief executive officer of Asyst, said, "Results for the quarter were in-line with our expectations and we are pleased with the progress of two of our key initiatives to drive shareholder value - developing and penetrating new products and reducing ongoing SG&A expense. We are on track with our product development programs, with multiple new products, customer evaluations, and design wins announced earlier this month. We believe these new products, combined with our status as a preferred supplier to many of the industry's strongest customers, solidly positions Asyst for the next upturn in the semiconductor equipment cycle." Michael A. Sicuro, chief financial officer, said, "Through our previously disclosed cost reduction initiatives, we achieved a $4 million decrease in ongoing selling, general & administrative expense quarter-on-quarter, while maintaining our commitment to new product development. We expect to achieve a further reduction in ongoing SG&A expenses in the September quarter and continue to expect improving operational performance in each quarter of the current fiscal year." The company provided the following guidance for the fiscal second quarter ending Sept. 30, 2008: * Consolidated net sales are expected to be in the range of $90-$95 million. AMHS sales are expected to be in the range of $65-$70 million, and tool and fab automation sales are expected to be approximately $25 million. * Net loss in accordance with GAAP is expected to be in the range of $0.20 to $0.25 per share. * Non-GAAP net loss is expected to be in the range of $0.12 to $0.17 per share. In calculating non-GAAP net loss per share, the company expects to exclude approximately $4.0 million for intangibles amortization, net of taxes, and fees and expenses related to its proxy contest Proxy contest A battle for the control of a firm in which a dissident group seeks, from the firm's other shareholders, the right to vote those shareholders' shares in favor of the dissident group's slate of directors. Also called proxy fights. . Mr. Schwartz concluded, "Based on ongoing discussions with customers, we continue to expect AMHS bookings to be stronger in the September quarter and expect the uplift to continue over the second half of our March 2009 fiscal year. That would support the beginnings of a recovery in our tool and fab automation product sales in the first half of calendar 2009, which is consistent with the general outlook for the broader equipment industry." About Asyst Asyst Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of integrated automation solutions that enable semiconductor and flat panel display A thin display screen for computer and TV usage. The first flat panels appeared on laptop computers in the mid-1980s, and the LCD technology became the standard. Stand-alone LCD screens became available for desktop computers in the mid-1990s and exceeded sales of CRTs for the first time (FPD (1) (Flat Panel Display) See LCD, plasma display, EL display, FED and flat panel display. (2) (Field Programmable Device) An umbrella term for all chips that can be programmed by the customer including SPLDs, CPLDs and FPGAs. See PLD. ) manufacturers to increase their manufacturing productivity and protect their investment in materials during the manufacturing process. Encompassing isolation systems, work-in-process materials management Materials management is the branch of logistics that deals with the tangible components of a supply chain. Specifically, this covers the acquisition of spare parts and replacements, quality control of purchasing and ordering such parts, and the standards involved in ordering, , substrate-handling robotics, automated transport and loading systems, and connectivity automation software, Asyst's modular, interoperable The ability for one system to communicate or work with another. See interoperability. solutions allow chip and FPD manufacturers, as well as original equipment manufacturers, to select and employ the value-assured, hands-off manufacturing capabilities that best suit their needs. Asyst's homepage is http://www.asyst.com. Conference Call Details The live conference call discussing these results is available today at 5:00 pm eastern time by dialing 303-262-2006. A live webcast of the conference call is publicly available on Asyst's website at http://www.asyst.com and accessible by going to the investor relations Investor relations The process by which the corporation communicates with its investors. page and clicking on the "webcast" link. For more information, including this press release, any non-GAAP financial measures that may be discussed on the webcast as well as the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of the difference between those GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures, as well as any other material financial and other statistical information contained in the webcast, please visit Asyst's website at www.asyst.com. A replay of the Webcast may be accessed via the same procedure. In addition, a standard telephone instant replay of the conference call is available for approximately two weeks by dialing 303-590-3000, followed by the passcode 11117863#. About Our Non-GAAP Financial Measures In addition to disclosing financial results calculated in accordance with GAAP, Asyst also reports adjusted net income and net income per share, referred to respectively as "non-GAAP net income" and "non-GAAP net income per share." Non-GAAP measures exclude the effect of amortization of intangible assets Intangible Asset An asset that is not physical in nature. Notes: Examples are things like copyrights, patents, intellectual property, and goodwill. These are the opposite of tangible assets. , restructuring charges restructuring charge The expense of reorganizing a company's operations. A restructuring charge is an infrequent expense that generally results from asset writedowns or facility closings. associated with facility and operating consolidation and severance benefits associated with headcount reductions, stock option investigation expenses, acquisition expenses related to the AMHS segment, write-off of fees from the early extinguishment The destruction or cancellation of a right, a power, a contract, or an estate. Extinguishment is sometimes confused with merger, though there is a clear distinction between them. of debt, write-off of deferred financing costs resulting from amendment to our credit facility, incremental Additional or increased growth, bulk, quantity, number, or value; enlarged. Incremental cost is additional or increased cost of an item or service apart from its actual cost. proxy contest costs and related professional fees, fees and expenses related to the early redemption of convertible debentures Convertible Debenture Any type of debenture that can be converted into some other security. Notes: For example, a convertible bond can be converted into stock. , non-recurring foreign currency translation gains (losses) from inter-company loans, and the associated income tax effect related to these non-GAAP adjustments. Non-GAAP net income per share is calculated by dividing non-GAAP net income by non-GAAP weighted average shares -- diluted. Asyst's management believes the non-GAAP information is useful because it can enhance the understanding of the company's ongoing operating performance; Asyst also uses non-GAAP reporting internally to evaluate and manage its operations. Asyst has chosen to provide this information to investors to enable them to perform comparisons of operating results in a manner similar to how Asyst analyzes its operating results internally. Management also believes that these non-GAAP financial measures may be used to facilitate comparisons of our results with those of other companies in our industry. The non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per share should be considered supplemental to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all of the costs associated with the operations of our business as determined in accordance with GAAP. As a result, you should not consider these measures in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of Asyst's results as reported under GAAP. Forward-Looking Statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this release are forward-looking. The forward-looking statements include statements regarding future financial results; and other factors more fully detailed in the company's Annual Report on Forms 10-K and 10-K/A for the year ended March 31, 2008, and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. These factors include, but are not limited to: uncertainties whether the results, including our ability to achieve forecasted revenues, margins and profitability; failure to respond to rapid demand shifts; dependence on a few significant customers; the timing and scope of decisions by customers to transition and expand fabrication fabrication (fab´rikā´sh  n),n the construction or making of a restoration. facilities and investment in fab automation equipment; ability to maintain or expand market share in our product segments; ability to improve gross margins through product cost reduction, volume increases, and supply chain initiatives; continued risks associated with the acceptance of new products and product capabilities; the volatility of semiconductor industry cycles and the depth and duration of industry downturns; the risk that customers will delay, reduce or cancel planned projects or bookings and thus delay the recognition, amount, or timing of our forecasted revenue or bookings; competition in the semiconductor equipment industry and specifically in AMHS; failure to retain and attract key employees; and other factors more fully detailed in the company's Annual Report on Forms 10-K and 10-K/A for the year ended March 31, 2008, and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. IMPORTANT INFORMATION / SOLICITATION solicitation In criminal law, the act of asking, inducing, or directing someone to commit a crime. The person soliciting another becomes an accomplice to the crime. The term also refers to the act of obtaining bribes, as well as to the crime of a prostitute who offers sexual PARTICIPANTS LEGEND Asyst Technologies, Inc. plans to file with the SEC and make available to its shareholders a proxy statement Proxy Statement A document containing the information that a company is required by the SEC to provide to shareholders so they can make informed decisions about matters that will be brought up at an annual stockholder meeting. and a white proxy card A proxy card is an easily-acquired or home-made substitute for a collectible card. A proxy is used when a collectible card game player does not own a card, and it would be impractical for such purposes to acquire the card. in connection with its 2008 annual meeting, and advises its shareholders to read the proxy statement relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc the 2008 annual meeting when it becomes available, because it will contain important information. Shareholders may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement and other documents (when available) that Asyst files with the SEC at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The proxy statement and these other documents may also be obtained for free from Asyst by directing a request to Asyst Technologies, Inc., Attn: Investor Relations, John Swenson, 46897 Bayside bay·side adj. Situated very close to or on the shore of a bay: bayside cottages. Parkway, Fremont, California For the unincorporated community in Yolo County, California, see . Fremont (IPA: /ˈfriːmɒnt/) is a city in California that was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: 94538, or from Asyst at www.asyst.com. Asyst, its directors and named executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of Asyst's shareholders in connection with its 2008 annual meeting. Shareholders may obtain information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of such individuals in Asyst's preliminary proxy statement filed with the SEC on July 29, 2008. "Asyst" is a registered trademark, and "Agile Automation" is a trademark, of Asyst Technologies, Inc. Copyright 1993-2008, Asyst Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. [TABLE OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] |
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