ISDN Holdings Ltd booked profit attributable to shareholders of S$10.38 million for the six months ended Jun 30, a seven-fold rise year-on-year, as robust demand for industrial automation lifted earnings.
Earnings per share rose to 2.29 Singapore cents from 0.29 cents a year earlier. The board will not pay an interim dividend, maintaining the stance taken in the prior-year period.
Group revenue grew 19.1 per cent to a record S$253.57 million. Industrial automation contributed S$238.00 million, up 31.9 per cent YoY and accounting for 93.9 per cent of total turnover. Pre-tax profit from the segment jumped to S$20.40 million from S$11.20 million. Renewable energy sales fell 52.1 per cent to S$15.57 million as construction income from two Indonesian mini-hydropower projects tapered off; segment pre-tax profit nevertheless improved to S$1.94 million from a loss of S$0.46 million.
Gross profit advanced 24.9 per cent to S$63.09 million, widening the margin to 24.9 per cent from 23.7 per cent a year earlier. The uplift reflected a richer product mix and operating leverage in automation, partly offset by lower contributions from hydropower construction. Other operating costs fell by S$6.5 million, mainly on reduced foreign-exchange losses and lower inventory provisions, while finance costs rose 6.3 per cent to S$2.70 million following higher borrowings.
The renewable-energy segment faced headwinds: revenues from the operating Labuan 1 and Anggoci plants slipped on extreme weather, and construction receipts from the near-completed Labuan 2 and Labuan 3 facilities declined. These plants are slated to start commercial operations later this year and are expected to add about S$6 million in annual recurring net cash, lifting the segment’s steady-state contribution to roughly S$14 million a year.
ISDN said its automation order book has more than doubled from a year earlier, supported by demand from artificial-intelligence, semiconductor and advanced-electronics customers. The group is extending its “full-stack” solutions across Asia, with first-half sales in Singapore up 57.9 per cent, Vietnam 46.6 per cent and Malaysia 19.0 per cent YoY. Management sees continued tailwinds from factory automation, robotics adoption and AI-driven manufacturing investments, as well as supportive energy-transition policies in Indonesia, where authorities target 42.6 GW of new renewable capacity by 2034.
Executive director and president Zhang Zijun attributed the record results to diversified growth across geographies and technology verticals, noting that wider product offerings and disciplined geographic expansion have positioned the company for sustained growth. He added that commissioning of the two new mini-hydropower stations should enhance the quality of earnings by raising stable cash flows, while the group will “maintain investment discipline” amid macroeconomic volatility.