Member Info for meldrew44

I discovered IQE after I dumped AVO. I watched it for a while before dipping my toe in. Since then I have gradually increased my stake. Motley Fool have just published an article describing IQE in glowing terms suggesting that buying shares in IQE could enable people to retire early. I think that is a bit OTT.

PM44. IQE is an established money making company engaged in the research, development and provision of engineering consultancy services to the compound semiconductor industry. The Company's segments include wireless, photonics, Infra Red and CMOS++. The Company is the manufacturer and supplier of Compound Semiconductor wafers or epiwafers using a process called epitaxy. Its photonics business enables a range of end applications, from data communications and advanced optical-fibers, to sensors in consumer and industrial applications. It operates through business units, including wireless, photonics, InfraRed, CPV (advanced solar), power switching, light emitting diodes (LEDs) and advanced electronics. It produces atomically engineered layers of crystalline materials containing a range of semiconductor materials, such as gallium, arsenic, aluminum, indium and phosphorous. The Company has operations in the United States, Asia and Europe Its Compound Semiconductor wafers or epiwafers are considered to be superior to its rivals and are used to make chips that are used in smart phones, tablets, etc. IQE are the preferred suppliers to some of the chip manufacturers who supply companies such as Apple and Samsung. It is rumoured that their wafers may be installed in the new Apple iPhone 8 that is due to reach the market later this year. If that transpires then it is felt that it might have a dramatic effect on the IQE sp. Even if that doesn't happen, it is believed that their wafer will, in all likelihood, find its way into the new smart phones produced by Apple's rivals. Worth keeping an eye on imho.

To offset my pessimistic view of the abilities of the BoD of AVO, I suggest that people take a peak at a company called IQE. I think it looks interesting and might even have a future. Which is more than I think about AVO. I have a few shares in IQE which is, of course, why I am ramping it : ) DYOR

I have bad news and good news. The bad news is that the BoD of AVO are a bunch of financially illiterate geeks, brilliant in their fields but with no understanding of business. It doesn't help that they have a previous history of not disclosing facts about their lack of progress of the development of LIGHT. Saying it was proceeding to schedule when it wasn't.. It means that their word cannot be trusted. Having had that experience of AVO I would be disinclined to trust any assurances they might give on any aspect of the business. The good news is that AVO only holds the licence to LIGHT that they have been awarded by CERN. My take on that is that even if AVO goes under, LIGHT will survive and might eventually come to market. Presumably one of the big companies in proton therapy might take over the license on a rescue buyout of AVO or be awarded a new license by CERN. imho, The best hope for AVO shareholders is that they might get some compensation from a rescue buyout.

The biggest risk I see is that AVO might go under and the CERN licence for LIGHT might be transferred to some other company.

I got out when I realised that the Bod were telling us lies about the development of LIGHT and were not to be trusted. I have not regretted leaving but I keep an eye on AVO in case they do manage the impossible.

Think of him as belonging to the gig economy having to do a number of part time jobs at the same time in order to make a living. In his case, a very good living. It is quite common with people whose expertise is in demand..

the BoD hadn't been so economical with the truth in the past.. They kept telling shareholders that the development of LIGHT was on track for completion within their schedule even when they were no where near being on track. Their deadline for completing the development of LIGHT was well over six months ago and they are still nowhere near completion. They only admitted they were way behind schedule after the fact was already obvious to everyone so they could no longer hide it. It means that the BoD are not to be trusted. Apart from that, they are haemorrhaging cash, are swamped with debt and are in a potentially fatal death spiral with the Braknor financial agreement. imho, the chances of AVO surviving as an independent company are remote, no matter what happens to the LIGHT machine or Harley Street. I would be very wary of buying in at this time. I think the sp will drop significantly before it recovers. If it ever does.

So you have yet to learn the AVO lesson. There is an old stock market saying that, 'If a share price has been dropping and you think that it cannot possibly go any lower, it probably will.' AVO does not actually own LIGHT. It is licenced to them by CERN. I do not know if AVO goes into administration the licence can be sold to another company or if it would revert to CERN.

Been there and got the AVO teeshirt. LIGHT might be world class technology with massive potential but there is little hope of AVO shareholders ever benefiting. It will be some other company that will get the benefit.. AVO cannot survive. It is in too much of a financial mess and the BoD is not up to the job..

LIGHT far from being complete. No sales. An inept BoD The future does not look good .

still a long way from completion I feel confident that LIGHT will eventually work and one day will benefit cancer sufferers but the jury is out on who will own it and reap the financial rewards.

Not all AIM companies are all that risky. Only those with a poor plan or poor or dishonest management. AVO certainly have the first two.

Interesting indeed.

What we do know is that the BoD got their timetable of when LIGHT would be up and running spectacularly wrong but carried on saying that it was on track even though they must have known that it wasn't. In my book that means that the BoD is not to be trusted no matter how wonderful LIGHT eventually turns out to be. I was invested and took a loss when I sold. I am now invested elsewhere where I am actually making some money. I am keeping an eye on AVO and if it ever seems that they are on the point of making a go of it I might buy back in. It might be the case that AVO ceases to exist or sells out to someone else before LIGHT reaches that point or CERN might even find a reason to withdraw the licence for LIGHT and award it to some other company that is capable of doing the job. Whichever way you look at it, imho, AVO is not looking like a good investment at the moment. gla

but I still got a phone call about the meeting. The person who called me said they got my name and number from my broker, Hargreaves Lansdown. He apologised for disturbing me when I told him that I was no longer a shareholder. The call did not bother me at all but it did make me wonder about how efficient HL is.

fufty1 How did you manage to buy 3DEO?

If it is negativity you are concerned about you should look at the ADVFN board. What is on here is realistic comment that everyone should welcome so that they get a balanced picture, not an over optimistic one.

wallace. AVO's competitors are using clunky, old fashioned cyclotrons that are expensive to install, expensive to maintain and expensive to decommision. AVO has unique access to cutting edge linear technology that is easy and cheap to install, cheap to maintain and cheap to decommision and is protected by a whole raft of patents. Ask anyone on this board and they will tell you the same. If it wasn't for the financial package, the fact that AVO misinformed us about timelines and the fact that I have serious doubts about the ability of the BoD to deliver on their promises before they go out of business, I would still be holding.

I read the Beaufort assessment of the deal and they were very downbeat about it. They confirmed that it was not a good deal and was likely to depress the sp for a long time. I think that all those who've piled in today might regret it because the sp could still go down again before it eventually recovers and there is still the potential for the Bracknor deal to derail the project. I hope it won't and I wish all investors the very best of luck but I'm invested elsewhere so won't be coming back unless I'm sure AVO is out of trouble.