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http://www.investegate.co.uk/bowleven-plc-%28blvn%29/rns/eeaa-submitted/201211260700069383R/
http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=200804080701038145RA excellent RNS today,with some great technology making this a well worth a look company and up 6% on opening.
I held these some time back and have kept them on my watch list,only negative
i could see and the reason for selling was a very large hole in their pension fund.
Needs checking out, but as i stated well worth running a cautious eye over as
some great potential here.
aimo
cyril

Tipped in the FT by Schwartz.
"I have already picked my share of the year for 2011 and you may be surprised to hear that its the same as the one I picked last year: Carclo, the producer of precision plastic products. In 2010, its share price gained 67 per cent but I think there is much more to come.
Carclo has invested heavily in game-changing technologies for several years. Now, I am seeing evidence suggesting that pay-off time has finally arrived. In fact, I believe we will soon witness a marked increase in profits."

sp moving up nicely today ahead of results due on 7 june

After this week's excellent results, the Yorkshire Post has an absolutely must-read article about CAR and its subsidiary Conductive Inkjet Technology (CIT).

The quotes about the uses of CIT's new touchscreen technology across smartphones, tablets, PCs and laptops - and at half the cost of the current ITO touch screens but with much more efficiency, sensitivity etc - say it all.

Read the whole thing, but further choice quotes from the article are here - read the last sentence in particular:

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/business-news/carclo_celebrates_deal_to_use_its_technology_in_new_phone_project_1_3456954

"Carclo celebrates deal to use its technology in new phone project
Published on Wednesday 8 June 2011 06:00

HI-TECH company Carclo has been signed up by one of the worlds leading smartphone manufacturers to work on the launch of a new concept phone due out at the end of the year.

Ossett-based Carclos innovative Conductive Inkjet Technology (CIT) will be used on the phones touch sensors, replacing the expensive Indium Tin Oxide sensors that are currently used on all smartphones.

Carclos chief executive Ian Williamson said: This is a huge profit opportunity for us. Our touch sensors are around half the cost of the equivalent Indium Tin Oxide ones. At the moment, Indium Tin Oxide is the only material that is used on touch sensors, but indium is very rare and tin is expensive......

.....Carclo believes CIT can be used for a whole range of applications including smartphones, tablets, PCs and laptops.

......Analyst Jon Lienard at Brewin Dolphin said: Carclo has reported a solid set of full year results, in line with expectations.

More significantly, further progress has been made at CIT and volume production for a new concept smartphone, which will trigger a $10m prepayment from Atmel (Carclos touch sensor partner), remains on track for the second half of this calendar year.

Further investment is already being planned in new capacity to accommodate demand for high volumes of photosensitive film.

Mr Williamson said that over the past year there has been a significant change in how Carclo is viewed by the financial market.

Shareholders and investors are looking increasingly at the transformational opportunity presented by Conductive Inkjet Technologys Fine Line Technology in touch screen applications.

This is understandable because the profit potential of this one opportunity alone exceeds Carclos current profitability."

The interim trading statement is a good one:

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201110070700107445P

Core trading is in line with expectations - which in this climate is all you can ask.

In particular, note that aerospace is now profitable and trading well. And "significant expansion of its Indian business" re CTP augurs very nicely for the future.

And CIT is progressing particularly well - note the sampling for smartphones and tablets....

"The Fine Line Technology project at Conductive Inkjet Technology has made significant progress and the Cambridge pilot line facility is now production ready. The pace of sampling for smartphones and tablets has stepped up as our commercial partner has introduced the technology to the broader market. Production yields on larger format screens are encouraging. The next significant milestone is the commencement of volume production, which we expect in our fourth quarter."

Arden have upgraded to Buy as follows:

"Carclo Todays H1 update reports trading in-line and solid, albeit with a H2 bias in profits expected this year. CIT has made significant progress and production yields on large format screens are encouraging. We maintain 8.8ME (03/12) = 11.6p and 11.1ME (03/13) = 14.7p. The current valuation attributes substantial value to CIT we estimate c100M and evidence on production yields seems encouraging. Hopefully this will stimulate adoption in new products and despite the risk of competing technology, there remains substantial upside and we move from NEUTRAL to BUY."

IMO if you give the growing LED and medical businesses anything like a decent P/E based on forecast 14.7p EPS next year then that doesn't leave much in the current m/cap for CIT or anything else.

For the likes of CIT, Eight19, the potential with VEC and Afinion, RFID, OLEDs, photovoltaics etc etc - and the return to profit of the aerospace business - that means there's a lot of upside which is not factored in yet and certainly not a lot of downside assuming core trading is as encouraging as today's confident update indicates.

Here;s a new Yorkshire Post article - it's worth reminding ourselves of CIT's potential which should start to be realised in the next few weeks and months. If CAR release an RNS notifying the market of the receipt of Atmel's $10m then things will really get interesting.....

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/business-news/carclo_defies_the_gloom_to_put_on_strong_performance_1_3851665

"Carclo has been signed up by one of the worlds leading smartphone manufacturers to work on the launch of a new concept phone due out at the end of the year.

Carclos innovative Conductive Inkjet Technology (CIT) will be used on the phones touch sensors, replacing the expensive indium tin oxide sensors that are currently used on all smartphones.

Yesterday the group said its Fine Line Technology project, part of its CIT division, has made significant progress and its Cambridge pilot line facility is ready for production.

Carclo said the pace of sampling for smartphones and tablets has stepped up as its commercial partner introduces the technology to the wider market.

Carclo believes CIT can be used for a whole range of applications including smartphones, tablets, PCs and laptops.

The group added production yields on larger format screens are encouraging. It expects volume production to begin in its fourth quarter. "

Brewin's have now raised their valuation to 540p......

http://www.lse.co.uk/FinanceNews.asp?ArticleCode=x3b0spm870otuok&ArticleHeadline=RESEARCH_ALERTN1_Brewin_raises_Carclo_price_target

"RESEARCH ALERT-N+1 Brewin raises Carclo price target

Wed, 1st Aug 2012 08:27
Aug 1 (Reuters) - Carclo PLC:

* N+1 Brewin raises Carclo price target to 540p from 427p;

rating buy"

Brilliant article showing CAR's potential:

http://seekingalpha.com/article/762231-atmel-to-increase-touch-sensor-production-capacity-to-1-billion-in-2013

"Atmel To Increase Touch Sensor Production Capacity To 1 Billion In 2013
July 30, 2012

"We will therefore have a surge capacity available in 2013 for up to one billion screens per annum." is what Carclo's (CCEGF) chief executive Ian Williamson stated in Carclo's latest earnings report, speaking about Carclo's subsidiary Conductive Inkjet Technologies ("CIT") and its partnership with Atmel.

Atmel (ATML) and CIT have joined forces to utilize CIT's Fine Line Technology high speed reel-to-reel manufacturing process to produce Atmel's newest touch sensor. The process consists of injecting metal lines into film so fine that they are virtually invisible. The result is a flexible touch sensor that is lighter, thinner and easier to apply than traditional Indium Tin Oxide ("ITO") sensors.

"Our touch sensors are around half the cost of the equivalent Indium Tin Oxide ones. At the moment, Indium Tin Oxide is the only material that is used on touch sensors, but indium is very rare and tin is expensive."

The industry has been in search for a feasible alternative to ITO sensors. The reason that touch sensors have not made big inroads into larger screens sizes is because ITO sensor are brittle, heavy, expensive and difficult to install. Atmel's solution to this problem is xSense, its new flexible touch sensor that is ideal for larger from factors. xSense is not a conceptual idea but a real product that is being produced right now in Atmel's production plant in Colorado USA and CIT's production facility in Cambridge UK. Shipments of xSense sensors are due to start this quarter and Atmel has committed the capital to triple its current production capacity and committed further capital to build another production line in 2013. The overall production capacity of xSense will reach to the equivalent of one billion 3.1 inch sensors per annum in 2013.

Atmel will not be increasing manufacturing capacity in this manner if it didn't have a lineup of costumers ready to purchase its product. Touch is a $4 billion industry that is expected to increase to $7.7 billion by 2016. A mayor catalyst for the growth of the touch sensor and controller market is the shift of the Windows OS to a touch interface. Atmel is one of Microsoft's partners for the release Windows 8 and market analysts estimate that Atmel will have 60 percent of the initial Windows 8 designs. Windows 8 will drive the need for touch sensors for larger screen sizes and Atmel has armed itself with a portfolio of Widows 8 certified touch controllers, xSense and a stylus option for the Windows 8 release. It was the 600ppi stylus option that started the rumor about Atmel getting the Microsoft's Surface tablet contract.

Of course Atmel is not aiming to build 1 billion of 3.1 inch sensors; their yield is aimed to meet the demand for larger screen sizes sensors that Windows 8 will drive. Their strategy is not only to sell the sensor but to combo it with Atmel's family of maXTouch controllers. A touch controller for Windows 8 is required to track up to 5 simultaneous touches compared to two touches for a regular smart phone or tablet sensor. These newer touch controllers can be sold for up $6 compared to under $2 for a regular smart phone controller.

Higher revenue with higher margins is Atmel's new war path to take over the touch sensor and controller industry. And with Atmel trading near its 365 day low and its ridiculously low PE of 11.38 there is little risk and a lot of upside for ATML. The question here is not about macroeconomics because the touch sector will continue to grow. The question here is about market share. Will xSense give Atmel the edge it needs to regain its market share or will Atmel's market share continue to erode away by its low cost competitors?"

Excellent news for CAR re Afinion/Axis-Shield sales from Alere last night in their results conference call in the USA:

http://seekingalpha.com/article/790891-alere-s-ceo-discusses-q2-2012-results-earnings-call-transcript?part=single

"Greg Simpson – Wunderlich Securities

Okay. Great. And then finally, could you maybe – Ron, maybe talk about Axis-Shield and the progress there to-date? The Diabetes revenue was a nice surprise or better than expected. Can you maybe just talk about the progress with Axis-Shield at this point?

Ron Zwanziger

Well, it’s – we’re feeling very good about it. Our units around the world are all getting a hand – getting a hold of the products – both the products. In most countries, but not all countries, we’re already well into selling it. Some countries had distribution agreements, which we have to wait for them to run out or work with the existing distributors. But – and that unfortunately includes the U.S. But – but the units are doing well with it and we’re really quite optimistic about what we can do with both the key products there."

As well as the recent Brewin Dolphin target price upgrade to 540p (see above), Liberum this week issued a further Buy note on CAR according to a poster elsewhere - as follows:

* Carclo – Buy – our site visit to CIT yesterday revealed Carclo continues to see a strong short term ramp from its initial customers over the next few quarters which may end up constraining available capacity. The initial ramp is expected to be from Chinese vendors such as ZTE. We also believe the company may be contemplating adding some metallization capacity rather than leave it entirely to Atmel and its third party partners. Any such move would also further increase ASP, revenue and earnings. We expect orders to continue to build through 2013 driven by smartphones, tablets as well as Windows 8 touchscreen ultrabooks. Orders are also expected from top tier vendors like Samsung by next year. Buy maintained."

It's perhaps worth listing the various areas of innovation/development that CAR has in addition to CIT/Atmel-derived revenues from touchscreens in smartphones, tablets, laptops etc:

- the LED optics division with a pipeline which "should deliver good growth over the next two years"
- OLED projects with partners CDT/Sumitomo which are expected to become bigger than FLT over time and are expected to provide news in the short-term
- CDS, from which we should hear news pretty soon if the smoke signals from the company are correct and could be as big as OLEDs or FLT
- a host of opportunities in printed electronics as a whole, including photovoltaics via Eight19, RFID etc. Reference the video I posted recently from MIT Labs showing CIT's film "painted" onto a guitar...
- InkJetFlex, which is expected to (per the results) "open up many new and high volume applications for the CIT technology"
- with potential growth in all sorts of areas where touchscreens are present, i.e in cars, domestic appliances etc etc....
- as well as the growing medical diagnostics and aerospace businesses, with opportunities for faster growth via Afinion, Vectura and the civil/commercial aerospace boom

I'm sure there's more that I've forgotten about :o))

Some extremely nice detail here - one billion XSenses to be produced next yearby CAR's CIT and Atmel for the forthcoming Window 8......

http://seekingalpha.com/article/924471-atmel-to-regain-its-touch?source=email_rt_article_readmore&ifp=0

Extracts:

"Atmel To Regain Its Touch

October 15, 2012 by: Ivan Jimenez

It is official now. Atmel's (ATML) alternative flexible touch sensor (named xSense) announced on April is now in production and its first commercial order was shipped last month to a Chinese smart phone manufacturer to be followed this month by a bigger shipment to a tablet manufacturer.

Why Should You Care

The market has been searching for an alternative to expensive Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) touch sensors and Atmel is the first to the market with a viable solution. Atmel's new touch sensor promises to be lighter, thinner, cheaper (around half the cost) and more precise than traditional ITO sensors. Also it has lower sheet resistance and that translates into less static, lower power consumption and increased sensor sizes.

Atmel's Perfect Timing

Atmel timing couldn't have been any more perfect with the release of Windows 8. Windows 8 will drive the need for larger touch sensors and Atmel's xSense with lower sheet resistance is perfect for the job.

It has been estimated that Atmel will gain 60% of the Windows 8 touch market and that was without taking the xSense advantage into account. We are talking about millions of Windows 8 tablets of all sizes, styles and designs that can be running using xSense and maXTouch controllers. And to meet these staggering numbers Atmel is ramping up xSense production capacity to one billion by 2013."

etc

Has this one the potential to soar in the near future ?

sp falling?

have they received $10m from Atmel?

MIDAS SHARE TIPS: Touch of magic for plastics group in screen revolution

By Joanne Hart, Financial Mail On Sunday

PUBLISHED: 22:16, 30 March 2013 | UPDATED: 22:16, 30 March 2013

.

Take the tablet: Carclo's grids can be used on devices of all sizes


Touchscreen phones are all the rage these days and it seems that everyone under the age of 40 either has one or wants one. These screens are made almost exclusively using a transparent conductive film known as indium tin oxide (ITO).


This works well enough on phones but it is less effective on larger devices such as tablets. It is also expensive and in short supply, but historically there has been no alternative. Now there is and it comes from a British plastics firm called Carclo. The group has invented a way to make touchscreens work using conductive ink technology. The potential for this is huge and Carclo shares should motor as profits surge.


CIT works using an extremely fine metal grid, where each strand of metal is about a tenth of the width of a human hair. Invisible to the naked eye, this grid is applied to a screen and responds to touch. It is cheaper than ITO and is also more effective, so it can be used on screens of any size.


The makers of mobile phones, tablets and computers are always trying to make their devices lighter, thinner and more glamorous looking, as well as cheaper and more efficient in terms of battery life.


CIT helps in every respect. Many smartphones and tablets have big black borders around them, which hide some of the circuitry that ITO film requires. CIT does not need that circuitry, so it can dispense with borders. It can even be used on curved surfaces, enabling manufacturers to make super-trendy products.




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CIT could also be used in other electronic gadgets, such as coffee machines or even watches in the future.


Carclo has spent the past couple of years perfecting its technology, working with an American company called Atmel, one of the biggest touchscreen makers in the world. Carclo makes the CIT and Atmel applies it to screens. Atmel’s customers include virtually every leading electronics business apart from Apple.

Atmel does supply Apple’s main rival Samsung, however, as well as a number of other big Asian firms. Some of these are already using Carclo’s technology, but this has been limited to date as the company has been making sure everything works perfectly and that it has the capacity to fulfil demand.


Now it is ready to roll. Atmel handed over $10 million (£6 million) last week as an upfront payment to facilitate future production.


Brokers took this as a solid endorsement of Carclo’s progress and its ability to deliver the new technology to Atmel over the coming year.


A new chief executive, Chris Malley, also took up the reins last week, following the retirement of former boss Ian Williamson. Malley has spent years working on CIT, so he is ideally placed to help Carclo expand. The business has two other divisions – making plastic components for medical devices and top-end LED lights.


These have delivered Carclo’s sales and profits to date but are expected to take an increasingly smaller role as demand for conductive ink technology takes off.


For the year ending today, Carclo is expected to deliver sales of £89 million and profits of £6 million. Next year, however, sales are expected to rise 23 per cent to £110 million, while profits are forecast to climb 75 per cent to £10.5 million, with further strong growth predicted for 2015.


Midas verdict: Carclo shares are 398p and should move higher. The company has devised a technology that makes touchscreen gadgets cheaper and better than they are already. In today’s world, that makes Carclo look like a winner. Buy.

As of Mar 29, 2013, the consensus forecast amongst 2 polled investment analysts covering Carclo plc advises investors to purchase equity in the company. This has been the consensus forecast since the sentiment of investment analysts improved on Sep 10, 2012. The previous consensus forecast advised that Carclo plc would outperform the market.

future program roll out looks especially interesting - should see £6 with ease before y/e here if consistent with expectation - if exceed...................... great touchscreen technology - an innovative world leader

Atmel Corporation Announcement
RNS
RNS Number : 8297D
Carclo plc
02 May 2013



2 May 2013



Carclo plc

("the Company")



Atmel Corporation Announcement



The Company notes the comments in respect of XSense™ and Conductive Inkjet Technology ("CIT") made by Atmel Corporation ("Atmel") executives during the Analysts Earnings call that accompanied Atmel's Q1 results on 1 May 2013.



Extracts from the transcript of the Earnings call are reproduced below:



"The market for ITO alternatives and metal mesh technology in particular is moving into the mainstream. During the first quarter, ASUS shipped their 7-inch tablet known as the Memo Pad featuring XSense. In addition, XSense was recently selected for multiple new designs with several tier-one OEMs. Furthermore, we are engaged in active discussions with major ecosystem partners to develop reference designs and to ensure that substantial capacity is available to support the forecasted roll-out of large screen systems. Based on these engagements and increasingly strong customer feedback, we believe that the adoption of metal mesh technology as a replacement for traditional ITO sensors is accelerating. Today, our manufacturing requirements are being supplied by our partner, CIT, as we qualify our Colorado facility for large scale production. We currently expect our facility to be qualified this month which is a delay from Q1 which had been our prior schedule. Due primarily to this delay, we expect XSense revenue to be between $15 to 25 million for 2013. Despite this near term reduction in revenue, we anticipate a substantial ramp in volume and are planning to expand capacity to support product revenue exceeding $100 million dollars in 2014. As a leader in this technology, with strong IP and manufacturing know-how, we expect the market for metal mesh solutions, which has an addressable market of over $5 billion today, to grow rapidly over the next few years, with XSense as the leading product."



"We are also excited with the progress we have made with XSense despite the push out in near term revenue. Customer enthusiasm for metal mesh solutions and XSense in particular is strong and we are confident of the rapid growth of this market and our leading position with XSense."



The further design wins, the eco-system partner relationships and the ramp in manufacturing capacity are all very positive for CIT's Fine Line Technology business. Based on Atmel's adjusted XSense revenue guidance for calendar year 2013 we anticipate that CIT's revenues will be in the range of £8 - £12 million for the financial year ending 31 March 2014. Growth prospects for subsequent financial years are substantial.



- ENDS -

Carclo growth prospects 'substantial'
StockMarketWire.com
Carclo believes growth prospects for subsequent financial years are substantial after noting comments on XSense and Conductive Inkjet Technology by Atmel Corporation executives.

Carclo says that based on Atmel's adjusted XSense revenue guidance for calendar year 2013, it anticipates that CIT's revenues will be in the range of £8m-£12m for the financial year ending 31 March 2014 growth prospects for subsequent years is substantial.

Carclo's strategy is to develop new technologies and products to drive future growth and its investment in Conductive Inkjet Technology is at the heart of the newly emerging market for very low cost printed electronics.

Atmel said: "The market for ITO alternatives and metal mesh technology in particular is moving into the mainstream. During the first quarter, ASUS shipped their 7-inch tablet known as the Memo Pad featuring XSense.

"In addition, XSense was recently selected for multiple new designs with several tier-one OEMs.

"Furthermore, we are engaged in active discussions with major ecosystem partners to develop reference designs and to ensure that substantial capacity is available to support the forecasted roll-out of large screen systems.

"Based on these engagements and increasingly strong customer feedback, we believe that the adoption of metal mesh technology as a replacement for traditional ITO sensors is accelerating. Today, our manufacturing requirements are being supplied by our partner, CIT, as we qualify our Colorado facility for large scale production.

"We currently expect our facility to be qualified this month which is a delay from Q1 which had been our prior schedule. Due primarily to this delay, we expect XSense revenue to be between $15 to 25 million for 2013.

"Despite this near term reduction in revenue, we anticipate a substantial ramp in volume and are planning to expand capacity to support product revenue exceeding $100m dollars in 2014.

"As a leader in this technology, with strong IP and manufacturing know-how, we expect the market for metal mesh solutions, which has an addressable market of over $5bn today, to grow rapidly over the next few years, with XSense as the leading product.

"We are also excited with the progress we have made with XSense despite the push out in near term revenue. Customer enthusiasm for metal mesh solutions and XSense in particular is strong and we are confident of the rapid growth of this market and our leading position with XSense."



At 9:45am: (LON:CAR) Carclo share price was +13p at 425p


Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

29 May Liberum Capital 500.00 Buy