Corporate news announcement processed and transmitted by Hugin AS.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this 
announcement. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------    




Revenue grows 5.4% in FY 2007/2008 - Consolidated net income after
minority interest climbs 13.2% - Dividend to increase slightly
year-on-year to ? 0.18 (previous year: ? 0.16)

(Jena, 9 December 2008) Medical technology company Carl Zeiss Meditec
ended financial year 2007/2008 on a positive note, having achieved a
slight increase in revenue and consolidated net income compared with
the previous year. In financial year 2007/2008 Carl Zeiss Meditec
posted consolidated revenue of ? 600.2 million, corresponding to an
increase of 5.4% year-on-year (previous year: ? 569.7 million). With
double-digit consolidated revenue growth rates, the "Europe, Middle
East and Africa" and "Asia/Pacific" regions proved to be important
growth drivers. These regions more than compensated for the
restrained development of sales on the US market and the weakness of
the US dollar during the financial year. EBIT amounted to ? 67.8
million in financial year 2007/2008 and was thus almost on a par with
the previous year (? 70.4 million). Consolidated net income after
minority interest increased by 13.2% year-on-year, from ? 47.8
million to ? 54.0 million in financial year 2007/2008, due to the
Company's sound financing structure. Earnings per share after
minority interest thus increased accordingly in financial year
2007/2008 to ? 0.66 (previous year: ? 0.61).
The equity ratio was 70.0% as of 30 September 2008 (30 September
2007: 69.1%). Net cash (cash less bank loans) amounted to ? 210.4
million at the end of the financial year (30 September 2007: ? 223.7
million).
"Even despite the difficult state of the global economy we still
achieved the targets we set ourselves for financial year 2007/2008,"
says Dr. Michael Kaschke, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec.
"We are also sticking to our long-term dividend policy, regardless of
these conditions, and shall propose to the General Meeting in 2009
the payment of a dividend of ? 0.18 per share," continued Dr.
Kaschke.

Consolidated revenue by strategic business segement

Consolidated revenue in our "Ophthalmic Systems" strategic business
unit, which mainly deals in diagnostic and treatment systems for
ophthalmology, fell by 2.3% compared with the previous year, from ?
291.6 million to ? 285.0 million. Consolidated revenue was heavily
impacted in the reporting period by currency effects. This is
particularly attributable to the weakness of the key currencies, US
dollars and Japanese yen, which persisted for most of the financial
year. Adjusted for currency effects, the SBU achieved revenue growth
of 3.5%. Development was also hampered by the buying resistance of
many customers, due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding general
economic conditions, particularly in the USA. In the "Surgical
Ophthalmology" strategic business unit, which mainly deals in
implants and consumables for ophthalmology, Carl Zeiss Meditec
generated consolidated revenue of ? 74.0 million, compared with ?
50.0 million in the previous year. Besides the encouraging
performance of new products, the 48.0% increase in revenue in this
SBU is also due to the acquisition of ophthalmic surgery specialist
Acri.Tec GmbH at the beginning of the financial year. In its
"Neuro/ENT Surgery" strategic business unit the Group achieved
revenue of ? 241.2 million in financial year 2007/2008 (previous year
? 228.1 million). The positive sales trend in this business unit is
mainly attributable to innovative products, such as the OPMI®
Pentero® surgical microscope used in neuro surgery, and the OPMI
Lumera® launched in the past financial year, which is used in
ophthalmic surgery.
The "Neuro-/ENT Surgery" SBU thus generated a share of 40.2%
(previous year: 40.0%) of consolidated revenue. The share of
consolidated revenue generated by the "Ophthalmic Systems" strategic
business unit amounted to 47.5% (previous year: 51.2%); the remaining
12.3% (previous year: 8.8%) was attributable to the "Surgical
Ophthalmology" SBU.

Consolidated revenue by region

Due to a successful fourth quarter, the "Americas" region remained
the biggest generator of revenue in financial year 2007/2008. The
trend in this region improved continuously over the course of the
year, however. Consolidated revenue in this region did, however,
decline year-on-year by 12.7% to ? 212.8 million (previous year: ?
243.8 million), which is largely due to currency effects. Adjusted
for currency effects, there was a slight decline in revenue of 2.8%.
The region's share of consolidated revenue decreased year-on-year to
35.4% (previous year: 42.8%), which was also attributable to the
strong growth in the other two regions. Consolidated revenue in the
"Europe, Middle East and Africa" (EMEA) region, for example,
increased by 14.7% year-on-year, from ? 169.3 million in the previous
year to ? 194.1 million in financial year 2007/2008. Positive effects
were had by sales of innovative diagnostic equipment, surgical
microscopes and intraocular lenses. This region thus accounted for
32.3% of Carl Zeiss Meditec's total revenue (previous year: 29.7%).
The strongest growth region was the "Asia/Pacific" region.
Consolidated revenue here increased by 16.6% in the reporting period
from ? 118.8 million in the previous year to ? 138.5 million. The
upturn in the Japanese market also contributed to this positive
trend. In total, this region accounted for a 23.1% share of
consolidated revenue in financial year 2007/2008, compared with 20.9%
the previous year. In Germany, Carl Zeiss Meditec generated
consolidated revenue of ? 54.8 million in financial year 2007/2008
(previous year: ? 37.9 million). Germany as a regional market thus
increased its share of consolidated revenue to 9.2% (previous year:
6.6%).
"We are thus one step closer to achieving our strategic objective of
balanced revenue growth in our three regions," continued Dr. Kaschke.
As of 30 September 2008 the Carl Zeiss Meditec Group employed a
worldwide workforce of 2,152 (previous year: 1,929).

Outlook

"In the last financial year we geared our organisation to the new
market requirements early on. We shall continue to focus on stable
business growth and on keeping the profitability we have already
achieved. We also plan to improve our profitability in the medium
term, without neglecting the investment necessary for further
growth," concluded Dr. Kaschke.

Brief profile
Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (ISIN: DE 0005313704), which is listed on
TecDAX of the German stock exchange, is one of the world's leading
medical technology companies.
The Company supplies innovative technologies and
application-orientated solutions which enable doctors to improve the
quality of life of their patients. The Company offers complete
solutions, including implants and consumables, to diagnose and treat
ophthalmic diseases.
The Company's "Neuro/ENT Surgery" strategic business unit provides
innovative visualisation solutions. Carl Zeiss Meditec's medical
technology portfolio is rounded off by promising future technologies,
such as intraoperative radiation therapy.
The Company's around 2,100 employees generated revenue of about ? 600
million in financial year 2007/08 (30 September). The registered
office of Carl Zeiss Meditec is located in Jena, Germany. In addition
to other subsidiaries in Germany, the Company is represented by over
50 percent of its employees at sites in the USA, Japan, Spain and
France.
Thirty-five percent of Carl Zeiss Meditec's shares are in free float.
The remaining 65 percent are held by Carl Zeiss AG, one of the
world's leading groups engaged in the optical and opto-electronics
industry. The five independently run business segments of Carl Zeiss
AG operate in the future markets "Medical and Research Solutions",
"Industrial Solutions" and "Lifestyle Products". Carl Zeiss AG is
domiciled in Oberkochen, Germany.
For further information please visit our website at:
http://www.meditec.zeiss.de

Contact Carl Zeiss Meditec AG

Investor Relations
Patrick Kofler
Göschwitzer Straße 51-52
07745 Jena
Phone: +49 (0) 36 41 - 2 20 - 1 06
Fax: +49 (0) 36 41 - 2 20 - 1 17
E-mail: investors@meditec.zeiss.com
Web: http://www.meditec.zeiss.com

Corporate Communications
Eva Sesselmann
Göschwitzer Straße 51-52
07745 Jena
Phone: +49 (0) 36 41 - 2 20 - 3 31
Fax: +49 (0) 36 41 - 2 20 - 1 12
E-mail: press@meditec.zeiss.com
Web: http://www.meditec.zeiss.com


 
--- End of Message ---

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG
Goeschwitzer Strasse 51-52 Jena Germany

WKN: 
531370; ISIN: DE0005313704; Index: Prime All Share, TECH All Share, 
TecDAX;
Listed: Freiverkehr in Bayerische Börse München, Freiverkehr in Börse 
Stuttgart, 
Freiverkehr in Börse Berlin, Freiverkehr in Börse Düsseldorf, 
Freiverkehr in Hanseatische Wertpapierbörse zu Hamburg, Freiverkehr 
in Niedersächsische Börse zu Hannover, 
Prime Standard in Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse, Geregelter Markt in 
Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse;



Copyright © Hugin AS 2008. All rights reserved.