Chip machinery maker ASMI said on Thursday it had posted a loss of €6.2m in the final quarter of 2008, compared with net profit of €2.4m in the previous quarter.

The loss was partly due to write-downs and restructuring charges totalling €11m. Turnover was down over 20% at €151m.
Over 2008 as a whole, sales were down 22% at €747m while net profit plunged from €61m to €18m.
The company declined to give a forecast for the current year but said conditions were ‘challenging’. The semi conductor industry had experienced one of its ‘worst declines ever’ in the second half of last year, CEO Chuck del Prado, said in a statement.