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ePaper created 2015-05-06, 08:22:31 | version 1.38.0
27HERAEUS | FINANCIAL REPORT 2014 | GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT Quartz Glass business group Heraeus Quarzglas The Quartz Glass business group (Heraeus Quarzglas) is the technology leader and materials specialist for the manufacture and processing of high-purity quartz glass. It excels in all key processes for producing different quartz glass types for the semiconductor and telecommunications industries as well as applications for the optical, chemical, and lamp industries. From base materials to complex system components, custom-tailored products and solutions can be developed and produced from natural and synthetic quartz glass. As the largest quartz glass smelting facility in the world, Heraeus Quarzglas is the world’s largest manufacturer of synthetic quartz glass for use in the microlithography and telecommunications industries. Business performance Last year, the Quartz Glass business group achieved a further slight increase in revenue, which totaled €347.2 million (2013: €346.3 million). This figure was boosted, above all, by strong demand for optical fibers within the telecommunications industry. Despite an increase in chip production, demand for quartz glass components for the semiconductor industry was not as expected because of technological developments and a market that in general was somewhat muted. Nevertheless, Heraeus Quarzglas was able to develop and qualify new materials for strategic customers. It was therefore able to increase revenue and compensate for a decline in volume in individual segments by gaining market share in key territories and through an optimized product portfolio. Varying rates of growth in the different regions also had an impact on the business group’s performance last year. A particularly favorable trajectory was reported in the Asian market. In the optical industry, there was a slump in the level of revenue generated by synthetic quartz glass for optical microlithography. This was because there was reluctance worldwide to invest in standard microlithography equip ment. In the cutting-edge field of EUV optics technology, Heraeus Quarzglas developed a special quartz glass material together with a strategic customer. The business group achieved a solid level of revenue from specialty optical products for use in major research projects. As in 2013, Heraeus Quarzglas generated most of its revenue in the telecommunications industry last year. The Telecom Fiber business again performed positively in 2014 on the back of persistent high demand for optical fibers in optical communications technology. The market for optical fibers for infrastructure projects, particularly in China, is growing continuously. Together with key cus- tomers, the business group made further gains in market share, most notably in China. The pressure on prices was largely compensated for by ongoing efforts to optimize cost structures and by a high level of capacity utilization. Product revenue € million 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 346.3 347.2 315.9 348.2 278.7