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Revenue increases by around 7% to EUR 446.6 million (previous year:
EUR 417.6 million) in the first nine months of 2007/2008 -
Consolidated net income after minority interest up 17.3%

(Jena, 14 August 2008) Medical technology provider Carl Zeiss
Meditec, which is listed on the TecDAX of the German stock exchange
(ISIN DE0005313704), generated consolidated revenue of EUR 446.6
million in the first nine months of 2007/2008 (1 October 2007 - 30
June 2008), corresponding to an increase of around 7% year-on-year
(EUR 417.6 million). Important growth markets were the regions
"Europe, Middle East and Africa" and "Asia Pacific", which more than
counterbalanced the restrained sales trend that has persisted on the
US market and the weak US dollar with, in some cases, double-digit
growth rates. The positive overall development of the operating
result continued in the first nine months of 2007/2008. EBIT rose by
3.1% from EUR 48.7 million to EUR 50.3 million year-on-year,
resulting in an EBIT margin of 11.3%, compared with 11.7% the
previous year. Consolidated net income after minority interest
improved significantly year-on-year, increasing more than
consolidated revenue. It increased by 17.3% in the first nine months
of 2007/2008 from EUR 31.0 million to EUR 36.4 million. In spite of
the higher number of shares, earnings per share after minority
interest increased in the first nine months of 2007/2008 to EUR 0.45
(previous year: EUR 0.41).
"Thanks to the stable demand for our products, Carl Zeiss Meditec's
development in the first nine months was satisfactory, despite the
uncertainties in the overall economic environment," said Dr. Michael
Kaschke, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG. "In future, our
aim will be to exploit the growth potential on the market that
remains untapped."
The "Ophthalmic Systems" strategic business unit accounted for almost
half (45.9%) of Carl Zeiss Meditec's consolidated revenue in the
first nine months of financial year 2007/2008 (previous year: 50.8%).
Consolidated revenue in this business unit decreased by 3.4% compared
with the previous year from EUR 212.4 million to EUR 205.1 million.
This is mainly attributable to currency effects in the reporting
period. The difficult general economic situation in the United States
also had a significant influence on development. In its "Surgical
Ophthalmology" strategic business unit Carl Zeiss Meditec generated
consolidated revenue of EUR 58.4 million (previous year: EUR 39.1
million). In addition to the encouraging performance of new products,
the revenue increase of 49.4% is also partly due to the first-time
consolidation of ophthalmic surgery specialist Acri.Tec GmbH. The
"Surgical Ophthalmology" SBU's share of consolidated revenue amounted
to 13.1% (previous year: 9.4%). In the first nine months of financial
year 2007/2008 the Group generated revenue of EUR 183.0 million
(previous year: EUR 166.0 million) in its "Neuro-/ENT Surgery" SBU.
The "Neuro-/ENT Surgery" SBU thus generated a share of 41.0%
(previous year: 39.8%) of consolidated revenue.
In the first nine months of financial year 2007/2008 the "Europe,
Middle East and Africa" (EMEA) region was the strongest contributor
to sales. Compared with the previous year (EUR 127.9 million),
consolidated revenue in the EMEA region rose by 24.5% to EUR 159.3
million. In addition to the first-time consolidation of Acri.Tec
GmbH, Carl Zeiss Meditec achieved significant revenue in this region
with innovative diagnostic systems, surgical microscopes and
intraocular lenses. The proportion of consolidated revenue generated
by this region increased from 30.6% to 35.7% year-on-year. In the
first nine months of financial year 2007/2008 consolidated revenue in
the "Americas" region, focussing on the USA, decreased by 17.1%
year-on-year to EUR 146.3 million (previous year: EUR 176.5 million),
which is to a large extent attributable to the fluctuation of the
exchange rate between the US dollar and the euro. The continuing
economic uncertainty in the United States also led to a reluctance to
invest. The region's share of consolidated revenue declined
year-on-year to 32.8% (previous year: 42.3%). Compared with the
previous year, consolidated revenue in the "Asia / Pacific" region
increased by 19.6% in the period under review to EUR 102.4 million
(previous year: EUR 85.7 million). This region thus accounted for
22.9% (previous year: 20.5%) of Carl Zeiss Meditec's total revenue.
In Germany, Carl Zeiss Meditec generated consolidated revenue of EUR
38.5 million (previous year: EUR 27.5 million) in the first nine
months of financial year 2007/2008. This increase of 40.2% is mainly
due to the first-time inclusion of Acri.Tec GmbH in Carl Zeiss
Meditec's reporting entity. The share of consolidated revenue
generated by Germany as a regional market increased to 8.6% (previous
year: 6.6%).
The Company's equity ratio as of 30 June 2008 was 68.7% (30 September
2007: 69.1%). Due to the distribution of the regular dividend, a
special dividend and the acquisition of Acri.Tec, net cash position
as of 30 June 2008 amounted to EUR 185.3 million (30 September 2007:
EUR 223.7 million).
As of 30 June 2008 Carl Zeiss Meditec AG employed a worldwide
workforce of 2,124 (previous year: 1,917).
"Our forecast for the current financial year 2007/2008 is
consolidated revenue of between EUR 600 million and EUR 620 million
and an EBIT return of between 11% and 12%," said Dr. Michael Kaschke,
President and CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG."Our objective going
forward continues to be to focus on our customers and innovation in
order to further increase, in the medium term, the profitability we
have achieved over the past few years, and, at the same time, to
sustainably increase our revenue."

Brief profile
Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (ISIN: DE 0005313704) is one of the world's
leading medical technology companies. This market position is based
on over 160 years of experience in optical innovation.
The company has two primary areas of activitiy: In the field of
ophthalmology Carl Zeiss Meditec offers integrated solutions for
treating the four main eye diseases: vision defects (refraction),
cataracts, glaucoma and retinal disorders. The company's system
solutions are employed in all phases of the disease management, from
diagnosis to treatment and follow-up. Carl Zeiss Meditec has always
applied its technological expertise to product innovations. These
innovations range from basic systems such as slit lamps and fundus
cameras to standard setting diagnostic systems such as the Humphrey®
Field Analyzer, the Cirrus HD-OCT(TM) and the IOLMaster®, through to
the surgical microscopes and innovative treatment systems in
refractive laser surgery. The product portfolio in ophthalmic surgery
is rounded off by intraocular lenses and consumables.
In the field of neuro and ENT surgery, Carl Zeiss Meditec is the
world's leading provider of surgical microscopes and microsurgical
visualisation solutions for a very broad range of applications, such
as tumor and vascular surgery in the head region and/or spinal
surgery. The most recent example of our innovative performance in the
area of microsurgery is the OPMI Pentero® visualisation system, which
allows efficient and ergonomic patient treatment. Carl Zeiss Meditec
will systematically expand its product range in this area and become
a solution provider in neuro and ENT surgery as well.
Carl Zeiss Meditec's medical technology portfolio is rounded off by
visualisation systems for doctors in private practice and promising
future technologies such as intraoperative radiation therapy, which
allows the targeted treatment of breast cancer and brain cancer
directly during surgery.
An aging global population, rising expectations of doctors and
patients, together with innovative treatment methods in medical
technology are expected to promote market growth in the long term.
Carl Zeiss Meditec holds an optimum position for future developments
in the health sector. The company focuses its solution portfolio on
the three medical challenges with a significant social and economic
impact: loss of mobility, vision and cognitive abilities. The goal is
to deliver technologies and application-oriented solutions that allow
doctors to improve the quality of life of their patients and to
further improve the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment.
Carl Zeiss Meditec AG is based in Jena, Germany, with subsidiaries in
Germany (Carl Zeiss Surgical GmbH, Carl Zeiss Meditec
Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH, Acri.Tec GmbH and Carl Zeiss Medical
Software GmbH), the USA (Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc., Dublin California),
in Japan (Carl Zeiss Meditec Co., Ltd., Tokyo), Spain (Carl Zeiss
Meditec Iberia S.A., Madrid) and France (Carl Zeiss Meditec S.A.S, La
Rochelle, and Carl Zeiss Meditec France SAS, Le Pecq).
Thirty-five percent of the Carl Zeiss Meditec shares are in free
float. The remaining 65 percent are held by Carl Zeiss, one of the
world's leading international groups engaged in the optical and
opto-electronics industry.
Contact
Patrick Kofler/ Director Investor Relations
Goeschwitzer Straße 51-52
07745 Jena, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 36 41 - 2 20 - 1 06
Telefax: +49 (0) 36 41 - 2 20 - 1 17
E-Mail: investors@meditec.zeiss.com
Web:    http://www.meditec.zeiss.com


 
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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;



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