Hello and welcome.
Welcome, everyone. My name is Rikard Engberg, and I'm an equity researcher here at Carnegie Investment Bank. With me, I have Frans Venker, CEO of Mentice, and Ulrika Drotz, CFO of Mentice, to present the Mentice Q4 results. Frans and Ulrika, welcome. The stage is yours.
Thank you.
Thank you for having us. Thank you, Rikard. Welcome to today's Q4 earnings call. I am here, as stated, also with Ulrika Drotz as CFO, who requires no further introduction and has been in place for more than a year. I am the new CEO of Mentice, and I started January 1st. Effectively, I have a long history, 25 years of history in the MedTech industry, in global roles both across Asia, China, Europe, as also the United States. Both in upstream roles as also downstream commercial roles. I am really excited to be the new CEO of Mentice. Mentice is truly a partner, as it is in the triangle of both the Medical Device Industry, as also the healthcare delivery networks, as also imaging centers. It is a privilege to be the new CEO of Mentice.
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Göran Malmberg, who led the company for 17 years and really put it, as it is, and made it where it is today. I am honored in order to take the reins and bring it forward to the next chapter of further growth. What we have today is four topics. First of all, as it is, the highlights and the overview, what I will give. Ulrika Drotz will give the financial results. I will provide some concluding remarks, and we do questions and answers afterwards. In order to get started, what we look at the financial summary, we had a strong Q4, basically in 2024, with net sales up 22.4% year-over-year. It was also with lower operating expenses as also lower personnel costs.
That really drove a positive EBITDA, 19.1% margin, as also a net profit of SEK 2 million for the quarter. If you look at the total year from a sales perspective, it was behind target, but we saw positive developments in both the Asia-Pacific region, as also the EMEA region, and stable performance in North America. The positive was the operational cash flow, both for the full year as also in the quarter. If I now look at the total results, it really sets us up well for 2025 for further growth and performance. If you then look at the business development aspect, if you look at the EMEA sales, it was up by more than 60%, APAC more than 27% for the full year, where we saw modest growth. We almost flat towards the North Americas.
It was performing slower in North America, and we're implementing measures in order to make sure that we get more order intake, as also further operational execution. Our focus is there both on the Medical Device Industry segment, as also the hospital care delivery segment. The other is that the Medical Device Industry order intake increased by 24% in Q4, and we saw a strong demand for our solutions. As the introduction of what we call the integration between Neurovascular Connect and VIST Ankyras was received well, and also we saw the progress in that neurovascular segment in order to be in the treatment planning for hospital solutions. In all, a good 2024 Q4, and I would like to hand it over for details to Ulrika Drotz.
Thank you, Frans. As Frans mentioned, we ended the year with a strong Q4, and that gives a year that is more or less in line with 2023. Net sales are up 22.4% compared to the last quarter 2023, and that gives us a total for the year of SEK 290 million, which is a growth of 6%. Together with a higher gross margin, both in the quarter and the year as a total, we end up at an EBITDA level of 19.1% on the margin level and an EBITDA result of 16.6%, sorry, SEK 16.6 million. As you see, the full result for the year was created in the fourth quarter, and that is despite the fact that we took one-off costs of around SEK 7.5 million. As Frans mentioned, yes, cost control.
This leads to an operational cash flow of SEK 2.4 million in the fourth quarter, which is far above the cash flow from last year. On a full year basis, we have an operational cash flow of almost SEK 18 million, which is approximately half of the operational cash flow that we did in 2023. From an order intake point of view, we had an increase during the quarter of almost 5%, and for the full year, a decrease of 8%. Moving into more details around the net sales per region, as we have mentioned many times during these kinds of calls, we are looking at our business overall in 12-month basis, which you see in the graph on the right upper hand corner.
There you can see that the Americas, which represents the largest region for us, had an increase during the quarter of 20%, but as there has been a lower performance up until the third quarter, this leaves a flat development for the full year. For the EMEA region, there was a really, really strong growth during the fourth quarter of almost 62%, and the fact that EMEA also had delivered weaker during the year up until the third quarter made the growth for the full year at almost 5%. For the AMER region , it's the opposite. It has been a very strong growth throughout the year and a decrease in the fourth quarter. Despite that, we end the year with a growth of 76%. Looking at the net sales from a product- area perspective, we see a solid growth for the VIST products, which is our main product.
For the year, sorry, for the quarter, it's an increase of 90% with the biggest part on hardware. I want you to highlight that on a full year basis, we see the biggest increase in software and licenses. Physical Sim had a good development during the fourth quarter compared to 2023, and this is also related to the acquisition of Biomodex at the end of 2023. Just mentioning shortly around the recurring revenues, there has been a flat development for the quarter and also on a rolling 12-month basis. What we do see is an increase in software licenses, which is what we are aiming for, and a somewhat decrease in system rentals. The focus on software licenses is important for us. Order intake for the quarter was above last year, and that is related to the Medical Device Industry within the EMEA region.
A total order intake of SEK 109 million, as I mentioned previously, is somewhat lower than, or sorry, it is an increase with 5% for the quarter, but a full year decrease of 8%. Finally, a comment on the order book, leaving the year with SEK 138 million, whereof SEK 96 million is related to revenues to be recognized in 2025. As you can see, the majority of those revenues are related to software within the VIST product area.
Thank you, Ulrika, for those details. As stated also, I'm truly excited to be part of this team and to really drive what we call end-to-end solution, both for the hospital space, but also drive further execution and operational execution in the Medical Device Industry segment. In all, what we see is that, and that is the key takeaways for today, is that we had a strong finish to the last quarter of 2024. It was a challenging year, as it is, across, but Q4 was strong. What we see is that the full- year results were mostly impacted by a challenging first half, with also performance in North America, which was flat. Robust growth in EMEA and APAC, especially from a sales perspective. For us, as it is, the acceleration of the Americas is a critical portfolio, basically priority.
The priorities going forward is, first of all, advancing the initiative with the launches that we have done in the Neurovascular Connect platform, but also the integration that we do for VIST and Ankyras, which gets us into treatment planning in order to make sure that we have a true end-to-end solution also for the hospital space. That will really create and unlock further growth, as also making sure that the operational excellence for the Medical Device Industry segment is going to continue. In all, as it is, what we see is that we're operating in a space, in an image-guided therapy space, where we see basically the innovations continuing, and Mentice is an integral part of providing innovations in the image-guided therapy space, and that sets us up well for 2025 and beyond. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Frans and Ulrika. Now I'll be having some questions. My first question is related to you, Frans. This is your first quarter presentation on Mentice, and you gave us a brief background in the intro of your presentation, but what do you think are your main experiences that can drive Mentice forward?
No, thank you, Rikard, for asking that, because I have a long experience within the MedTech industry, but specifically also in the image-guided therapy space, where I've worked in both upstream roles and what we call more the product marketing and the development roles, as also within the commercial side. I've led North America, and I think I can truly help with, first of all, extending the solutions for the hospital space in order to grow further there with the team, as also coach and guide the team towards the commercial execution, both globally in order to reach further heights. I think my experience really could help in this space, and it's really teaming up with the great people that we have from a clinical standpoint, technical standpoint, but also commercial standpoint in order to unlock further growth of Mentice.
That takes me on to my next question. What will be your main priorities going into 2025?
It is clearly related to making sure that we provide innovations towards the Medical Device Industry segment. There could be several innovations if it comes towards strong growth areas into valves, for example, or it's also electrophysiology, cardiac rhythm management. Making sure that we continue to grow and help Medical Device Industry companies to get training, but also compliance towards their physicians. The second part is unlocking growth in the Hospital segment, which requires a little bit of a different, what we call value proposition, so a different product. We cannot translate that one-to-one, our Medical Device product towards the Hospital segment. We need to potentially add a few steps in order to make it a true service and attractive towards our Hospital segment. I have also had the experience there in the many years in order to help with the team.
My priority is extending the growth in the Medical Device Industry, but also accelerating further growth in the Hospital segment, which basically then confirms also our financial, basically, as it is, targets that we have set, as it is, all along.
Okay, great. During the quarter, you show a really strong sales growth, but a bit lower growth in order intake year on year. I noticed that it was quite a lot of the major orders that came early in the quarter. Is this the main reason for order- intake growth being not as high as sales growth?
Ulrika, would you like to take this? Because you were the most, as it is, part of that during the time.
The orders coming in early in the quarter helped actually realizing more a greater part of them than usually as net sales. I would not really say that that is a reason for the lower order intake. I think this is part of the variability that we have in our business.
Okay, great. Can you please describe the VIST Ankyras integration? How has it been received by the markets?
Yeah, absolutely. As it is, it's received well. Maybe as a little bit of a background, what we do is basically provide a new product, as it is, introduction with an integration of our Simulation solution, also with a Treatment Planning solution with the Ankyras. That really helps hospitals in order to be in the treatment planning side. It really gives a little bit of a different proposition and could provide further growth. That really helped us, as it is, we have introduced it in several hospitals, and the feedback was positive. I also traveled already to those hospitals in order to see it and talk to the doctors. Yes, as it is, it is received well. With a few further tweaks, I think we can extend the growth even further. Received well overall.
Okay, great. Now we'll break in with a question from Christian Binder of Red eye. He's asking what exact changes will be needed to appeal more to the Hospital customers compared to the MDI customers?
It's a great, great, great question. As it is, because we have been very, as it is, well established in the Medical Device Industry as a company. In order to really go direct towards hospitals, usually a little bit of a service is also required in order to make sure that solutions are truly also adopted. That people are supporting physicians in order to try and also adopt a new workflow that is required with these solutions. That is what Mentice also needs to provide, is making sure that we provide this also as a service and making sure that it's also then implemented as requested. Also workflow-wise, as it is, we might have to tweak and tune it a little bit to make it easier and also fit within the workflow of physicians, because they are very busy.
These are high-stress, as it is, procedures that they're most of the time doing, and it needs to be seamless and fit into their workflow to be adopted. That's what we are going to drive with the team.
Okay, great. My next question is, you received three major orders in Q4, and you received one major order now in Q1. Can you please describe the nature of these orders and how they have been delivered?
Yeah, Ulrika, would you like to take or I can take?
You can take it.
Yeah. They are for the Medical Device Industry, as it is, where we have, yeah, solutions also in particular clinical areas. What we do see is that there is strong growth also from a procedural standpoint in valve implants, as also cardiac rhythm management, as also ablation procedures for electrophysiology. It is those MDI companies that have, yeah, basically requested our services in order to help them with training, but also supporting their physicians in order to do those procedures. That is why these three orders are linked towards. It is straight into our strategy and also the execution and a proof that we are on the right track.
Okay, great. My next question is regarding the gross margin. It has been really strong in the quarter and during the year. Can you please describe what is the major reason for this really strong gross margin?
One of the reasons is the increase of software with a higher margin than hardware that we've seen during the year. Another reason is work and efficiencies that we've done around the hardware. We have created it more cost-efficient during the year.
Okay, great. Lastly, I noticed in the quarter report that you made an adjustment in the order book. Can you please describe the reason for this and is there any chance that this revenue can come back, so to say?
I take that one?
Yeah, I could take it as well. Yeah, please do so.
This relates to an order that was placed before 2023. Since we at this point in time do not see when it will be delivered and the revenue could be taken, we prefer to actually debook it from the order book, but there is an ongoing discussion. On the question if it potentially could be realized in the future, yes, we are working for it.
Most likely it will still, as it is, too, go to revenue, but we don't know when.
Okay, great. Lastly, you touched upon it in your presentation, but could you please briefly describe the development in annual recurring revenue?
Yeah. As I mentioned, the increase is related to software. Towards the end of the year and towards the end of the quarter, we saw an increase in the recurring revenue on software.
Okay, great. Frans, Ulrika, thank you for coming here to Carnegie Bank. Thank you everyone who has been listening. Thanks.
Thank you, Rikard, for having us.