(Reuters) – Clariant said on Thursday it expects revenue to decline slightly in 2023, after reporting last year’s sales were in line with catalyst-driven expectations.
The company, which notably manufactures chemical components for personal care products, said it expects sales of around 5 billion Swiss francs (4.99 billion euros) in 2023, down from the 5.20 billion Swiss francs published in 2022.
The outlook includes a net negative impact of around 130 million francs from divestitures and an additional acquisition, the company said.
Clariant also expects a growing negative annualized decline from the Sunliquid plant in Romania and a persistent inflationary environment.
“In the fourth quarter of 2022, pricing continued to have a significant positive impact on sales growth and Ebitda margin, despite weaker end markets in some businesses,” chief executive Conrad Keijzer said in a statement. .
In recent months, Clariant has successfully offset the raw material and energy costs that are hitting the industry by passing them on to customers through price increases.
Clariant said it aims to improve the level of the group’s operating margin in 2023, and expects a continued recovery in its catalysts business to offset lower sales volumes in its other units.
Catalyst sales increased 18% in local currency in the fourth quarter, primarily driven by volume growth.
(Report Linda Pasquini and Marta Frackowiak; Lina Golovnya, edited by Kate Entringer)
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