Ahrensburg – The third quarter of 2010 went better than expected for Basler AG. According to preliminary figures, sales and pre-tax earnings were significantly above previous year's levels and beyond the management board's expectations.

Group sales for the first three quarters of 2010 were at €38 million, exceeding the previous year’s level of €24 million by 58%. Earnings before taxes (EBT) for the group amounted to €3.8 million, up €11.6 million compared the previous year's results.

The digital camera business segment in particular is driving this growth. In the first three quarters, camera sales increased by 85% to €29.8 million (€16.1 million in the previous period). Incoming orders were at €33.6 million compared to €18.7 million last year (+79.7%). The preliminary segment result is +€6.5 million.

Digital cameras with a Gigabit Ethernet interface are the growth driver in Basler’s product portfolio. After a difficult 2009 year in which sales of GigE cameras still saw a two digit increase, sales will nearly double in 2010. For the first time, GigE cameras will have the highest share of total turnover compared to other interface technologies. This underlines Basler’s leading position in the GigE camera segment, and the company plans to continue expanding its leadership role.

Assuming continued market development, we are once again increasing our guidance for the 2010 fiscal year. We expect group sales to grow to a level between €46 and €48 million (previous guidance: €43 - 45 million; 2009 sales: €33.7 million) at an EBT of no less than €4.1 million (previous guidance: > €3.5 million; 2009 EBT: €-8.0 million).

The financial report for the third quarter of 2010 will be published on November 16, 2010.

Basler Vision Technologies is a leading global manufacturer of digital cameras for industrial applications, medical devices, traffic systems, and the video surveillance market. Product designs are driven by industry requirements and offer easy integration, compact size, and a very strong price/performance ratio. These characteristics are the decisive factors allowing Basler to hold a leading position in the GigE Vision arena today. Founded in 1988, Basler has more than 20 years of experience in vision technologies and offers one of the broadest product portfolios in the industry. The company employs about 300 people at its headquarters in Ahrensburg, Germany, as well as in international subsidiaries and offices in the U.S., Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan.

For more information, please contact us at +49 4102 463-500 visit us on the web at:http://www.baslerweb.com