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Volex unplugged by Apple

RESULT: The global supplier of electrical, digital and optical connections suffers from its largest customer, Apple, switching to a different component for its new iPhone and iPad chargers
November 1, 2012

No surprise that first-half revenues and profit margins plunged at Volex (VLX), a global supplier of electrical, digital and optical connections, after the company warned last month that Apple, its largest customer, accounting for around a third of sales, had decided to use a different component for its new iPhone and iPad chargers. The news wiped a quarter off the company's market value at the time.

IC TIP: Hold at 167p

The loss of Apple's business has piled pressure on margins, too. Volex had invested heavily in switching production from PVC to higher-margin Halogen Free power cords, but volumes will now be much lower than first anticipated. That squeezed gross margins from 19.2 per cent to 17.8 per cent. However, chief executive Ray Walsh is confident that full-year gross margins can recover, helped by an extensive restructuring programme. "We're looking to cut annualised operating costs by $10m," says Mr Walsh.

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