"Alent is a leading global supplier of advanced surface treatment plating chemicals and electronics assembly materials. The principal end-market is global electronics production which accounts for approximately three-quarters of net sales value with the automotive and industrial end-markets the balance."

Both Vesuvius Plc & Alent Plc are seperate companies created from the demerger of Cookson Plc in Dec 2012.

http://www.alent.com/

StockMarketWire.com
Alent's trading for the third quarter was slightly below its expectations due to the softer than anticipated demand in consumer electronics end-markets. Net sales value (NSV) in Q3 2013 was £105.6m (Q3 2012: £101.7m), an increase of 3.8% (flat on a constant currency basis), and broadly in line with Q2 2013.

NSV for the first nine months of the year was £314.8m, (first nine months of 2012: £312.4m) an increase of 0.8% (down 2.3% on a constant currency basis). NSV margin progressed in Q3 2013 versus H1 2013.

Looking ahead, the group says: "Visibility remains limited with end-markets showing more muted seasonal pick-up in consumer electronics demand. Assuming current foreign exchange rates, we now expect our full year NSV to be around the same levels as 2012 with slightly unfavourable product mix.

"The fundamental drivers for the business are unchanged. We have a strong foundation, including robust pricing discipline and cost and efficiency improvements, from which to deliver sustainableNSV and margin improvement from our four pillars of underlying market growth, improving product mix, focus on our OEM strategy and the development of our new product pipeline."

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4700289

StockMarketWire.com
Alent posts adjusted operating profits of £94.1m for the year to the end of December - down from £97.2m last time.

Net sales value rose to £420.1m from £416.7m but margings fell to 22.4% from 23.3%.

Statutory pre-tax profits rose to £77.7m from £73.2n and the full year dividend of 8.60p per share is up from 8.25p.

Chief executive Steve Corbett said: "This is a solid performance in a challenging trading environment for Alent in its first year as a standalone company. We have largely maintained or increased our market share in most product lines, with NSV broadly flat, demonstrating our ability to outperform the majority of our end-markets which saw a general decline in 2013.

"This resilience has been underpinned by our focus on high unit count applications which drive demand for our products. Our strong relationships with OEMs, continued R&D investment to support innovation and the production of higher margin products remain key to our strategy. This coupled with our global footprint, strong cost control, price stability and financial strength will continue to drive the future performance of our business."

INTERIM MANAGEMENT STATEMENT
Ahead of its Annual General Meeting later today, Alent plc, a leading supplier of highly engineered and customised specialty chemicals and materials, issues its Interim Management Statement for the period since 1 January 2014.

TRADING
Trading since the start of the year has been in line with our expectations. We have seen a slight increase in demand across our principle electronics and automotive end-markets, driven by growth in automotive unit volumes and improving global consumer confidence, assisting electronics demand.

On a constant currency basis, Net Sales Value (NSV) increased 3.7% to £98.9 million. Adverse currency translation of 6.5% meant that on a reported basis, NSV was 3% lower than the prior year (Q1 2013: £101.8 million). NSV margin has improved slightly over Q1 2013, primarily due to favourable mix.

In Assembly Materials, NSV increased to £48.1 million, up 3.7% on a constant currency basis. Our core solder paste business performed well with further growth in both volumes and margins. Our recycling business continued to be affected by lower metal prices and tighter supplies of scrap feed stocks.

In Surface Chemistries, NSV increased to £50.8 million, up 3.7% on a constant currency basis. Copper damascene NSV increased by 3.8% on a constant currency basis, as production at the 28nm and 20nm advanced nodes ramps up. The Q2 copper damascene order book shows encouraging trends.

FINANCIAL POSITION
Our financial position remains strong. Working capital trends have reflected normal seasonality with a build-up of working capital expected in the first half of the year and a corresponding reduction in the second half. Net debt at 31 March 2014 was £111.0 million, compared to £96.5 million at 31 December 2013. We remain on track with our previously announced restructuring initiatives.

OUTLOOK
Our expectations for 2014 remain unchanged from our full year results announcement in March. While foreign exchange translation will continue to be a headwind at current rates, we expect our normal seasonal improvement in the second half of the year. Whilst visibility is limited, we anticipate growth in the automotive end-market to continue. The electronics end-market has had a good start to the year, and although it is harder to predict how the industry will develop, the steadily improving economic environment is expected to lead to a modest increase in demand for consumer electronics.

Alent will host a Capital Markets Day on 21st May 2014 and announce its Interim Results on 4th August 2014.

INTERIM RESULTS FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 30 JUNE 2014

§ Modest improvement in key markets, underpinned by early signs of improved global consumer confidence

§ Growth in NSV (at constant currency rates), reflecting continued outperformance against principal markets

§ Strong growth in adjusted operating profit and NSV margin

§ Continued solid cash generation with net debt/EBITDA ratio of 1x

§ Interim dividend of 3.0 pence per share; equivalent to 35% of 2013 full year dividend

§ Special dividend of 15.0 pence per share; equivalent to c£42m

Commenting on the Group's results, Steve Corbett, Chief Executive said:
"These results demonstrate our ability to consistently outperform our principal markets. We have seen a modest pickup in the electronics, automotive and industrial markets. The semiconductor market has strengthened, driving demand for copper damascene and wafer start related products whilst demand for assembly materials and printed circuit board fabrication was modest, albeit stronger than in 2013. A combination of top line growth, further progress in improving our mix to higher margin products and an improved copper damascene contribution, have enabled us to grow adjusted operating profit by 8.1% and increase NSV margin by 1.0pts, at constant currency rates.

"Continued solid cash generation has underpinned the Board's decision to return an additional c£42m to shareholders through a special dividend. This is in line with our commitment to maintain a capital structure that is both efficient and balanced between investment for growth and returns to shareholders. We will continue to look for and evaluate acquisitions in line with our strategy.

"Looking ahead, we are confident that our global market leadership, strong OEM relationships, global technical service presence and fast cycle R&D will enable us to deliver long-term growth and sustainable margin improvement."

OUTLOOK
Trading for the first half of the year has been in line with our expectations. Foreign exchange translation remains a headwind. If 30 June 2014 spot rates were to continue through the remainder of 2014, we would expect a negative currency impact of c£28m on 2013 NSV and c£8m on 2013 adjusted operating profit. We expect our normal seasonal improvement in the second half of the year. Whilst visibility is limited, we anticipate growth in the automotive market to continue. Although the electronics market is harder to predict, the improving economic environment and anticipated new OEM product launches are expected to lead to a modest full year increase in demand for consumer electronics. Our expectations for 2014 remain unchanged from our Q1 IMS announced on 19 May.

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4861742

Ex-divi (incl special) mon 29th Sept (15p)

INTERIM MANAGEMENT STATEMENT
Alent plc, a global supplier of highly engineered and customised specialty chemicals and materials, today issues its Interim Management Statement for the period from 1 July 2014 to 5 November 2014.

TRADING
Trading in the period has been broadly in line with our expectations. We have seen a sequential increase in demand across our principal electronics and automotive end-markets.

At Group level, Net Sales Value (NSV) at constant currency increased 5.5% in Q3 2014. Adverse currency translation of 6.7% meant that NSV was 1.2% lower on a reported basis at £104.3m (Q3 2013: £105.6m). NSV margin increased in Q3 2014 versus H1 2014. These solid results demonstrate our ongoing ability to consistently outperform our principal end-markets. Across the majority of our market segments, pricing remained stable with our market share largely maintained or increased as we continued to benefit from our OEM marketing and selling strategy.

On a divisional basis, Assembly Materials NSV increased 5.0% on a constant currency basis, with a decrease of 0.4% on a reported basis, to £51.8m (Q3 2013: £52.0m). In line with our expectations, this was supported by a modest pickup in the electronics market as a result of new OEM product launches as we progressed through the period. Year-on-year solid margin growth in Surface Mount Assembly, particularly in solder paste, more than offset continued bar volume decline, a lower contribution from our recycling business due to lower metal prices and a general economic slowdown in South America.

In Surface Chemistries, NSV increased 6.0% on a constant currency basis, with a decrease of 2.1% on a reported basis, to £52.5m (Q3 2013: £53.6m). We continued to make solid progress in our Performance Coatings segment as automotive and industrial markets experienced a modest pickup in the period. Copper damascene performed in line with our expectations driven by the continued ramp up at the leading edge nodes.

FINANCIAL POSITION
Our financial position remains strong. Net debt at 30 September 2014 was £97.2m, compared to £102.3m at 30 June 2014. Working capital increased as planned during the period as we continued to support manufacturing relocation and plant start-ups, principally within Europe and Asia. We expect the majority of the working capital build from supporting manufacturing relocation and plant start-ups to unwind by the end of the year.

In line with our commitment to maintain a capital structure that is both efficient and balanced between investment for growth and returns to shareholders, we returned £42m to shareholders in the form of a special dividend, in addition to the interim dividend of £8.4m, with both paid on 17 October 2014.

In order to maintain our financial flexibility, we successfully completed the re-financing of our existing syndicated bank facility with a group of eight relationship banks. The size of the facility remains unchanged at £300m, with the term of the facility being extended by a further two years to 21 September 2019.

We remain on track with our previously announced restructuring initiatives in Europe, Asia and Brazil.

OUTLOOK
Electronics market industry forecasters are predicting global electronics growth of 2.4% for the full year 2014. Similarly, the automotive market is expected to show modest global growth, both in units and electronic content.

Consequently, our expectations for 2014 remain unchanged from our Interim Results announcement in August. Looking ahead, we are confident that our global market leadership, strong OEM relationships, global technical service presence and fast cycle R&D will enable us to deliver long-term growth and sustainable margin improvement through continued outperformance of our principal end-markets.

Alent plc reaches settlement with Moses Lake Industries, Inc. for copper damascene applications

Alent plc/Enthone announced today that it has settled its litigation with Moses Lake Industries, Inc. (MLI) regarding Enthone's patented copper damascene applications. This resolves all pending legal disputes between the companies.

Under the terms of the settlement, MLI entered into a license agreement with Enthone for monetary consideration. Under the license agreement, Enthone has granted MLI a non-exclusive worldwide license to key patents relating to advanced copper damascene processes.

Rick Ertmann, Interim Chief Executive, Alent plc said, "I am pleased that we have achieved a satisfactory outcome to this litigation. This settlement clearly demonstrates our commitment to protecting Alent's intellectual property."

StockMarketWire.com
Alent has settled all litigation with MacDermid Inc, now part of Platform Specialty Products Corporation. This litigation relates to corporate activity involving MacDermid and Cookson Group plc ('Cookson') and dates back to 2006.

The pending litigation was noted in the contingent liability note of Alent's 2013 Annual Report & Accounts and referenced at the time of Alent's formation and demerger from Cookson. Under the terms of the settlement, Alent will pay US$10m (£6.4m) in full and final settlement of all claims.

Alent plc, a global supplier of specialty chemicals and engineered materials, today issues its Q1 trading update for the period from 1 January 2015 to 31 March 2015.

TRADING
Trading for the period has been in line with our expectations and our outlook for 2015 remains unchanged.

The electronics end-market was slightly slower than anticipated in Q1 2015, whilst the automotive end-market progressed as expected.

At Group level, Net Sales Value (NSV) at constant currency increased 1.7% in Q1 2015. A favourable currency translation of 1.2% meant that on a reported basis, NSV increased 2.9% to £101.8m (Q1 2014: £98.9m). NSV margin for the Group has been stable.

At a business unit level, Assembly Materials NSV increased 1.8% on a constant currency basis. On a reported basis, NSV increased 4.0% to £50.0m (Q1 2014: £48.1m). We have continued to make progress across most product lines. As highlighted at the time of our full year results in March, our reclaim business continued to experience slight headwinds due to lower metal prices and tighter supplies of scrap feed stocks.

In Surface Chemistries, NSV increased 1.6% on a constant currency basis. On a reported basis, NSV increased 2.0% to £51.8m (Q1 2014: £50.8m). Solid growth in performance coatings was somewhat offset by the previously highlighted semiconductor industry inventory build which has unwound as we progressed through Q1 2015.

FINANCIAL POSITION
Our financial position remains strong. Working capital trends have reflected normal seasonality with a build-up of working capital expected in the first half of the year and a corresponding reduction in the second half. Net debt at 31 March 2015 was £130.8m, compared to £108.3m at 31 December 2014. The £6.4m charge associated with the MacDermid litigation settlement was paid in March 2015.

OUTLOOK
Our expectations for 2015 remain unchanged from our full year results announcement of 2 March 2015. We anticipate the electronics and automotive end-markets will grow at a similar rate to 2014 and we also expect to make continued progress over the course of the year, with our normal seasonal improvement in the second half. We are confident our Investing for Growth programme will enable us to deliver long-term growth and sustainable margin improvement.

RECOMMENDED ACQUISITION OF ALENT PLC

BY

MACDERMID PERFORMANCE ACQUISITIONS LTD. a wholly owned subsidiary of PLATFORM SPECIALTY PRODUCTS CORPORATION

to be effected by means of a Scheme of Arrangement under Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006

Summary
· The Boards of Platform Specialty Products Corporation ("Platform") and Alent plc ("Alent") are pleased to announce that they have reached agreement on the terms of a recommended offer for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Alent by MacDermid Performance Acquisitions Ltd ("Bidco"), a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Platform. Under the terms of the Transaction, each Alent Shareholder will be entitled to receive:

for each Alent Share: 503 pence in cash

StockMarketWire.com
Alent's adjusted pre-tax profits fell to £42.8m in the six months to the end of June - 0.2% lower on a reported basis and 1.8% down at constant currencies.

Net sales value rose to £205.2m from £201.3m - up 0.5% at constant currencies - and adjusted operating profits increased to £45.0m from £44.0m.

Statutory pre-tax profits fell by 5.7% to £39.4m.

The group said adjusted earnings per share of 12.1 pence were in line with market expectations.

Chief executive Andrew Heath said: "I am pleased to report that trading during the six month period to 30 June 2015 was broadly in line with our expectations. Pricing remained robust, with positive mix from growth in our higher margin business helping to offset end-market headwinds. This helped to deliver stable NSV margin in the period, whilst we made further progress in our Investing for Growth programme. We continue to expect normal seasonal improvement in the second half of the financial year.

"Post the period end, we reached agreement on the terms of the acquisition of Alent plc by Platform Specialty Products Corporation. The significant premium being offered by Platform recognises the progress Alent has made in the last three years, the opportunities in front of us and the overall quality of the business, whilst also presenting a clear opportunity for our shareholders to realise the full value of their investment earlier. Our Board is unanimous in its recommendation of the proposed Transaction."

StockMarketWire.com
Alent has set out an updated timetable for its recommended acquisition by MacDermid Performance Acquisitions.

Alent has previously announced that all anti-trust clearances have been obtained.

Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the other conditions set out in the scheme document, the court hearing to sanction the scheme is expected to be held on 20 November. The effective date of the scheme is expected to be on 1 December.