CyberOptics Corporation (Nasdaq: CYBE) today reported significantly improved operating results for the fourth quarter of 2013 ended December 31.

• Revenues increased 47% to $8.6 million from $5.8 million in the year-earlier quarter.
• The operating loss of $2.0 million was down from $2.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2012.
• The company reported a net loss of $2.0 million or $.31 per share, which included a restructuring charge of $952,000, primarily related to the previously announced workforce reduction in November. The net loss in last year’s fourth quarter was $6.5 million or $.93 per share, which included a $5.7 million non-cash charge to record a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets and a restructuring charge of $523,000.
• Cash and marketable securities totaled $23.2 million at December 31, 2013, compared to $23.8 million at the end of the third quarter. CyberOptics used cash in the fourth quarter to complete its $3.0 million share repurchase authorization.

Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, president and chief executive officer, commented: “We are greatly encouraged by our improved fourth quarter results, making us believe that CyberOptics’ has turned the corner with its growth plan. Our fourth quarter sales growth was broadly based across our three product categories. Sales of SMT sensors increased 60% from last year’s fourth quarter, paced by demand from our largest OEM customer for next-generation LaserAlign sensors. We also recorded our first significant sales of Embedded Process Verification sensors, which are now standard on certain pick-and-place platforms of this OEM. Sales of inspection systems posted year-over-year growth of 36%, driven in part by increased sales of our new QX600 automated optical inspection (AOI) systems and SE600 solder paste inspection (SPI) systems. Introduced earlier in 2013, both systems are starting to gain share in their respective inspection markets. Finally, sales of semiconductor products, principally our WaferSense product line, increased 52% from last year’s fourth quarter.”

He continued: “Going forward, our overarching objective is to strategically reposition CyberOptics as a global leader in high-precision 3D sensors. Demand for 3D sensing is growing in markets ranging from automotive and aerospace to medical and consumer electronics. The SMT inspection market is clearly moving in this direction, and the Multi-Reflection Suppression (MRS) 3D technology that we are developing for our next-generation AOI system should enable CyberOptics to expand its presence in the smart phone and tablet markets as well as other high-precision applications. We expect to launch this 3D AOI system later in the fourth quarter of 2014.”

Kulkarni added: “We also are pursuing access to the general purpose 3D metrology market through the pending acquisition of Laser Design, Inc. (LDI), a Minneapolis-based 3D sensing company with revenues of approximately $6.0 million. We entered into a definitive agreement with LDI in January and expect this $3.0 million all-cash transaction to close in March. LDI provides scanning systems and services to the estimated $825 million global 3D scanner and services metrology market. In addition to providing CyberOptics with an initial presence in the general metrology market, LDI will extend our reach into a diverse range of new industrial markets, where LDI serves a number of Fortune 500 companies. We also plan to incorporate our new 3D MRS technology into future LDI products to strengthen their performance and competitiveness.”

CyberOptics also is developing new products for several other promising opportunities that are scheduled for introduction during the second half of 2014, including systems for inspecting memory modules and conformal coating on circuit boards. We also recently unveiled our new ReticleSense™ Airborne Particle Sensor (APSR) at SEMICON Korea. With APSR, equipment engineers can wirelessly monitor airborne particles in semiconductor process equipment where reticles are implemented without opening the tool.

Kulkarni said: “We are optimistic about continued progress with CyberOptics’ growth in 2014. For the first quarter ending March 31, we are forecasting year-over-year double-digit sales growth, excluding the impact of LDI, driven by sustained demand for new products across all categories. Higher sales, coupled with reduced operating expense, are expected to result in a significantly reduced loss for the quarter. We believe this same combination of factors should enable us to post organic double-digit sales growth and a lower loss for the full year. The pending LDI acquisition is not expected to have a significant impact on our bottom line performance in 2014.”

About CyberOptics
Founded in 1984, CyberOptics Corporation is a leading provider of sensors and inspection systems that provide process yield and through-put improvement solutions for the global electronic assembly and semiconductor capital equipment markets. Our products are deployed on production lines that manufacture surface mount technology circuit boards and semiconductor process equipment. Through internal development and acquisitions, CyberOptics is strategically repositioning itself to become a global leader in high-precision 3D sensors. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, CyberOptics conducts worldwide operations through facilities in North America, Asia and Europe.