Kyocera posts 2% rise in net profit for first half of 2014

Kyocera Corp. announced that their net profit for the first half of fiscal 2014 saw a 2% gain to 43.6 billion Yen on sales of 714.3 billion Yen, a record high for the April-September period. The company said sales of component parts for Smartphones increased as their customer base expanded to Chinese Smartphone makers. Sales of multi-functional photocopiers also went favourably, focussing on emerging markets. Profits before tax fell by 1% to 68.1 billion Yen, mainly due to a 61% fall in fine ceramic products for solar panels whose profitability declined severely. The company will reinforce the solar panel business, focussing on housing use.