Free cash flow amounted to EUR 180 million (1st half of 2018/19: EUR 341 million). With a total of EUR 4,179 million, the company's equity rose by 5 percent to the end-of-year figure for fiscal year 2018/19 (30 September 2019: EUR 3,990 million).
ZEISS expenditure on research and development totaled around 12 percent of revenue. This amounted to EUR 398 million in the first half of fiscal year 2019/20 (1st half of 2018/19: EUR 322 million).
Investments in property, plant and equipment amounted to EUR 215 million in the reporting period (1st half of 2018/19: EUR 133 million) as compared to depreciations totaling EUR 123 million (1st half of 2018/19: EUR 105 million).
Net liquidity totaled 1,362 million euros on 31 March 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a downturn in revenue, particularly in the EMEA and APAC regions. Conversely, the Americas region saw slight growth in revenue. China saw a renewed upward trend in March.
"Our global investment strategy involves investments in innovations and digitalization in particular, but also in the further expansion of our modern infrastructure. It lays the groundwork for the ZEISS Group to continue growing," says Dr. Christian Müller, Chief Financial Officer of the Carl Zeiss AG. Lamprecht added: "Our investment strategy is supplemented by the acquisition of highly innovative companies that will allow them to unlock their full potential in our portfolio, and thus form a key part of the ZEISS future strategy."
ZEISS' acquisitions during the first six months of the year include the acquisition of software firm Saxonia Systems AG. The company has been operating under the name Carl Zeiss Digital Innovation since March 2020. With this acquisition, ZEISS is systematically expanding its software know-how and securing the expertise and resources of Saxonia Systems to realize digital projects of strategic significance.
At the end of the first six months of the year (31 March 2020), ZEISS had a global workforce of 31,906 employees. Its headcount thus increased by 5 percent as compared to 31 March 2019.