
As expected, continued weak demand from key sales markets and declining economic expectations are weighing on SGL Carbons sales and earnings performance in the first quarter 2025. After three months of fiscal 2025, SGL Carbon generated sales of 234.3 million. This was 14.0% below the previous year (Q1 2024: 272.6 million). Consolidated sales were mainly impacted by weak demand in the Semiconductor & LED market segment, which contributed the majority of the 38.3 million decline in consolidated sales with a 30.0 million drop in sales compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
Based on the significantly lower sales, particularly of higher-margin products for the semiconductor industry, SGL Carbons adjusted EBITDA decreased by 20.4% to 33.5 million compared to the first quarter of the previous year (Q1 2024: 42.1 million). Accordingly, the adjusted EBITDA margin declined from 15.4% to 14.3%.
Sales figures for electric vehicles have risen slightly again in recent weeks. This is basically a good sign for our graphite business. However, weak demand from our semiconductor customers confirms our assumption that demand for specialty graphite products for the manufacture of silicon carbide-based semiconductors will not pick up again until the high inventories in the entire semiconductor value chain have been reduced, explains Andreas Klein, CEO of SGL Carbon.
With depreciation and amortization remaining almost unchanged at 12.8 million (Q1 2024: 13.0 million), EBIT for the first quarter of 2025 was primarily impacted by one-time effects and special items of 17.3 million. This was due to the restructuring of the Carbon Fibers business unit (Q1 2024: 2.5 million). EBIT decreased accordingly from 26.6 million in the same quarter of the previous year to 3.4 million.
Development of the business unitsThe Graphite Solutions (GS) business unit reported sales of 116.7 million in the first quarter of 2025, down 17.4% on the same quarter of the previous year (Q1 2024: 141.3 million). The majority of the decline in sales is attributable to weaker demand in the Semiconductor & LED market segment, which recorded a significant drop in sales of 41.4% ( 30.0 million). The most important customer group here are customers from the silicon carbide-based semiconductors segment, who, as in the second half of 2024, demanded significantly less products in the first quarter of 2025 than in the same periods of the previous year. This is mainly due to electromobility, where growth expectations have declined compared to earlier forecasts, leading to temporarily high inventories at our customers.
The decline in sales had a negative impact on Graphite Solutions adjusted EBITDA. Compared to the previous quarter, adjusted EBITDA fell by 41.0% to 21.6 million (Q1 2024: 36.6 million). This was mainly due to the decline in volume of high-margin products for the semiconductor industry and lower capacity utilization in our production facilities. The adjusted EBITDA margin decreased significantly quarter-on-quarter to 18.5% (Q1 2024: 25.9%).
The Process Technology (PT) business unit confirmed the positive development of the previous year with a 10.6% increase in sales to 36.5 million (Q1 2024: 33.0 million). This encouraging increase was driven in particular by major projects for international customers and a good order situation in the service business. Based on higher capacity utilization and an attractive product mix, adjusted EBITDA for Process Technology improved from 6.9 million in the same quarter of the previous year to 11.0 million. Correspondingly, the adjusted EBITDA margin developed positively, rising from 20.9% to 30.1% in the first quarter of 2025.
Sales in the Carbon Fibers (CF) business unit amounted to 46.7 million in the first quarter of 2025, down from 57.6 million in the same quarter of the previous year. The decline of 10.9 million (-18.9%) is primarily attributable to the further decline in demand from the wind industry and the associated capacity adjustment in the carbon fiber business.
The reduction in logistics, personnel, and energy costs as part of the capacity adjustments had an initial positive impact, leading to an improvement in adjusted EBITDA for the CF business unit of 4.0 million to minus 1.2 million (Q1 2024: minus 5.2 million). It should be noted that the activities accounted for at equity, in particular the joint venture Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic Brakes (BSCCB), made a positive contribution of 1.7 million to the adjusted EBITDA of the CF reporting segment.
Sales in the Composite Solutions (CS) business unit declined by 19.4% to 29.9 million in the first quarter of 2025 (Q1 2024: 37.1 million). The decline is primarily due to the expiry of a project-related contract with an automotive customer, whose sales were still included in the first quarter of the previous year. As a result of lower volumes and the associated lower capacity utilization, adjusted EBITDA for CS decreased by 2.8 million to 2.7 million compared to the previous quarter (Q1 2024: 5.5 million). Based on the loss of the high-margin customer contract and increasing price pressure from the automotive industry, the adjusted EBITDA margin decreased from 14.8% in the same period of the previous year to 9.0% in Q1 2025.
Restructuring Carbon Fibers business unit About three months ago, we informed about the upcoming restructuring of the Carbon Fibers business unit, which also includes the closure of unprofitable business activities and sites. The first measures already implemented included further global capacity reductions and associated personnel and cost adjustments. On May 5, 2025, we informed the workforce at our Lavradio site about the phased closure of production, reports Dr. Stephan B hler, member of the SGL Carbon Board of Management responsible for this business unit. Lavra
Europe Stories
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
21/06/2025
Includes four MPE-ready solo string instruments
Expressive E have announced the release of Soliste, a collection of four virtual solo string instruments des...
20/06/2025
In just a few days, the pilgrimage to Worthy Farm begins. Glastonbury, the legen...
20/06/2025
Combines physical modelling with AM & granular synthesis
Developed in collaboration with composer and transmedia artist Gadi Sassoon, Physical Audio's n...
20/06/2025
Free Soundbox expansion pack announced
Following on from the success of their debut expansion packs for Audiomodern's free MPE-enabled Soundbox software...
19/06/2025
On Wednesday, Spotify and Miley Cyrus tangoed in Paris during an unforgettable e...
19/06/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
19/06/2025
Combines octave-up and octave-down effects
Described as a dual octave engine, the latest release from Fuse Audio Labs combines octave-down and octave-up eff...
19/06/2025
Latest entry-level sample library announced
VSL have just announced the launch of Fazioli F308 Essentials, a new, packed-down version of their library Synch...
19/06/2025
Fizzy peaches, banana millions, peach hearts? Or, put it another way: creative, marketing, digital? ICG was among the exhibitors at the Northern Marketing Festi...
19/06/2025
Fox Corporation Acquires Caliente TV in Mexico FOX Expands its Sports Broadcasting Footprint in Mexico with the Acquisition of a Market Leading Streaming Chan...
19/06/2025
Apple presents Big Man, a new short film shot on iPhone 16 Pro, produced in association with Somesuch and #Merky Films, directed by Academy Award-winning direct...
19/06/2025
RT and ITV have today announced that filming is underway in Dublin on the third and final series of Element Pictures' award-winning 8 30' comedy drama ...
18/06/2025
Since popping up in 2020, RADAR Italia has not only supported emerging artists but also reflected the cultural and musical richness of Italy. Over the past five...
18/06/2025
Media asset management transformation isnt about replacing old technology with new technology. Its about transforming how people work. After analysing dozens of...
18/06/2025
Splice integration, Speech-to-Text & more
The latest version of Avid's popular DAW software has just arrived, delivering a wealth of new features for bo...
18/06/2025
A nostalgia-evoking ambient music box
Following on from the success of their LIVEN Ambient synth, Sonicware have announced the launch of their latest co...
18/06/2025
Elisabeth Pataki, a progressive finance executive with over 20 years of experience at various publicly listed multi-national aerospace and defence companies, wi...
18/06/2025
18 Jun 2025
VEON's Kyivstar Advances Direct-to-Cell Services With Starlink ...
18/06/2025
The fifth instalment of the multi-award-winning Sky Original comedy from acclaim...
18/06/2025
Wednesday 18 June 2025
Today, Sky announced the brand-new Sky Original document...
18/06/2025
To date the Toy Show Appeal has raised over 26 million since its inception in 2...
17/06/2025
In South Africa, the rebirth and resurgence of the vibrant folk genre Maskandi has captured the attention of music fans, becoming the country's fastest-grow...
17/06/2025
New monosynth joins UAD virtual instrument line-up
In addition to offering a catalogue of well-established processing plug-ins, Universal Audio have recentl...
17/06/2025
All-in-one vocal mixing plug-in announced
Pulsar Audio have announced the launch of a new all-in-one plug-in that brings together a selection of vocal proce...
17/06/2025
Update delivers tighter integration with Pro Tools timeline
Dreamtonics have released an update that kits their innovative vocal synthesis plug-in out with ...
17/06/2025
Designed to maximise punch, clarity & impact
The latest arrival in the Schulz Audio range is a powerful new dynamics plug-in that provides producers, engine...
17/06/2025
We need your opinion Please help us improve our products, service and dealer support by taking this short survey (about 10 minutes).
We would like to know:
- ...
17/06/2025
17 Jun 2025
Omiyinka Doris Chooses to Step Aside from VEON General Counsel Position Dubai, June 17, 2025: VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON; the Company or VEON ), a ...
17/06/2025
17 Jun 2025
VEON Appoints Vitaly Shmakov as Acting General Counsel Dubai, June 17, 2025: VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator ( VEON or the Co...
17/06/2025
17 Jun 2025
Kyivstar and Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine sign Coo...
17/06/2025
London - Tuesday 17 June 2025: It is with an incredibly heavy heart that we share the news that Melanie Rumani has passed away after a long battle with cancer. ...
17/06/2025
Tuesday 17 June 2025
One name. Two world champions. In 1996, Damon Hill claimed the Formula 1 World Championship and cemented his place in motorsport history, ...
17/06/2025
R&S FSWP phase noise analyzer and VCO tester now supports up to 56 GHz and exter...
17/06/2025
Wuppertal June 17, 2025
Riedel Communications Teams Up With GT Racing Team Garage 59Riedel Communications has partnered with U.K.-based endurance GT team Gara...
17/06/2025
Read the review here!...
16/06/2025
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is officially underway for...
16/06/2025
On Spotify, francophone content continues to cross borders at an unprecedented rate. In 2024 alone, more than 123 million listeners worldwide streamed audio con...
16/06/2025
Instrument now boasts full NKS support
Sub51 and Soundtrax have just announced the launch of an updated and improved version of their innovative sample-base...
16/06/2025
Two new compact 4HP modules introduced
ALM/Busy Circuits have just announced the launch of two new Eurorack modules, the Pip Filter and Pip LFO, both of whi...
16/06/2025
Monday 16 June 2025
For the first time, small to medium sized businesses will b...
16/06/2025
16 Jun 2025
VEON Announces USD 35 Million Share Buyback Announcement marks the third phase of USD 100 million share buyback program
Dubai, June 16, 2025: VEON...
16/06/2025
Monday 16 June 2025
Sky Arts' Access All Arts Week, a free nationwide arts ...
16/06/2025
Monday 16 June 2025
Families and children are invited to dress up, have fun and raise money to protect nature
WWF UK and Sky Kids are teaming up to launch Wea...
16/06/2025
The Rohde & Schwarz R&S M3AR radio family reaches 10,000 unit milestone, demonst...
16/06/2025
FOX Advertising Launches Enhanced Brand Storytelling Program with Strategic Inve...
16/06/2025
Run with Ray is back! RT Radio 1's The Ray D'Arcy Show hits the road th...
15/06/2025
July 2025 in Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam & London
Photo: Thea Martre
Music Production for Women (MPW) have announced that they will be running a series of fo...
15/06/2025
Composer/producer launches free virtual instruments
Sulcata Sound is the latest venture of Jason Graves, a two-time British Academy Award-winnning composer,...