Alcatel CEO sees strong results for FY 2000
quote.bloomberg.com
Alcatel Chairman Tchuruk Says 2000 Sales Rose More Than
35%
By Steve Rhinds
Paris, Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Alcatel SA, Europe's second- biggest phone equipment maker,
saw sales rise more than 35 percent in 2000, Chairman and Chief Executive Serge Tchuruk
said in an interview broadcast on Radio Classique.
``We haven't yet come up with final figures, but we're well over 35 percent for the year,''
Tchuruk said. The pace of growth in operating income was almost twice as fast as sales, he
added.
Alcatel reported net sales of 23 billion euros ($22 billion) in 1999, up 8 percent from the prior
year, and operating income was 804 million euros, up 40 percent.
The company is less profitable than rivals such as Sweden's Ericsson AB, ``but we're starting
to make up the lost ground,'' Tchuruk said. ``We're aiming for double-digit margins and we're not
far off that now,'' he added.
In the U.S., where the company is the fourth-biggest telecommunications equipment supplier,
Alcatel should ``fairly quickly'' achieve sales of about $10 billion, Tchuruk said.
Last year, Alcatel bought U.S.-based Newbridge Networks Corp. for $7.1 billion to keep pace
with rivals such as Lucent Technologies Inc. and Nortel Networks Corp.
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During Q3 CC ALA has increased forecast for FY2000 revenue growth from mid-30’s to upper 30's %. CEO said they did WELL ABOVE 35%.
In Q3 ALA were forecasting at least 35% growth(CEO was also speaking for press few weeks before results were
published at the end of October). At that time ALA exceed numbers by huge margins. Historically when Serge Tchuruk makes bold statement
about numbers before official results are published( January 31-st) he keeps big guns in his hand.
Zbyslaw |
