“The full-year results reflect our commitment and focus to maintaining operations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, while making an active and decisive contribution to controlling it,” said Pierre-Alain Ruffieux, CEO of Lonza Group, in the press release. “Double-digit sales growth for Lonza is a testament to the exceptional commitment of our employees in these extraordinary times. It also demonstrates the resilience of the business during a year of unprecedented change.
“While 2020 delivered strong financial results,” Ruffieux continued, “it was also a year of operational and strategic advances, including the decision to divest LSI and refocus our business as a leading partner dedicated to the healthcare industry. We have also changed our organizational structure to create clarity for customers while improving productivity and operational efficiency. These developments have set us up for a strong year ahead, while we continue to anticipate and manage the business impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking to the longer term, we are maintaining our focus on strategic CAPEX investments to support our growth momentum, while redoubling our focus on sustainability.”
Related: Lonza Invests $93M in Capsule Manufacturing ADM Reports Q4 Results UNFI Reports Q1 Results, Confirms FY2021 Outlook
Highlights include:- CHF 4.5 billion in sales
- 12% sales growth
- CHF 1.4 billion EBITDA, resulting in a 31.2% margin
- Strong Pharma Biotech & Nutrition performance with 12.2% sales growth and 32.1% EBITDA margin
- Production of the drug for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has commenced at the Portsmouth site in the USA and the Visp site in Switzerland
Lonza’s guidance for full-year 2021 includes low double-digit CER sales growth and improved EBITDA margin, but the company noted that all forecasts should be treated with caution due to uncertainty arising from the pandemic.
