FARO's Second Quarter Sales Up 23.0% to a Record $38.0 million, New Orders Grow 18.3% to a Record $40.8 Million

LAKE MARY, Fla., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FARO Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: FARO) today announced results for the second quarter ended July 1, 2006. Net income for the second quarter of 2006 was approximately $0.9 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, a decrease of $1.0 million compared with $1.9 million or $0.13 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2005. Second quarter 2006 results included pre-tax expenses of approximately $3.4 million for legal and professional fees, of which $2.2 million was related to the Company's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act internal investigation and $0.7 million was related to ongoing patent litigation.

Sales for the second quarter of 2006 were approximately $38.0 million, an increase of $7.1 million, or 23.0% from $30.9 million in the second quarter of 2005. New order bookings for the second quarter were approximately $40.8 million, an increase of $6.3 million, or 18.3% compared with approximately $34.5 million in the year-ago quarter. New orders increased 24.5% in the Americas to $17.8 million, from $14.3 million in the second quarter of 2005. In Europe/Africa, new orders increased 22.7% to $16.2 million from $13.2 million in the second quarter of 2005, and in Asia/Pacific, new orders decreased 2.9% to $6.8 million, from $7.0 million in the second quarter of 2005.

"The Company continued to perform well in the second quarter, with new orders exceeding $40 million for the first time in the Company's history," stated Jay Freeland, Co-CEO. "At the same time, we continued to improve gross margin and selling expense as a percentage of sales compared to the first quarter of 2006 through a series of ongoing productivity initiatives," he continued.

Gross margin for the second quarter of 2006 was approximately 59.3%, compared to 59.5% in the second quarter of 2005 and 58.8% in the first quarter of 2006. Compared to the first quarter of 2006, gross margin improved due to continued cost controls implemented by the Company.

Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses were approximately $18.7 million, or 49.2% of sales in the second quarter, an increase of $4.9 million from $13.8 million or 44.7% of sales in the second quarter of 2005 and an increase of $2.8 million from $15.9 million or 49.5% of sales in the first quarter of 2006. Selling expenses as a percentage of sales were 30.5% in the second quarter of 2006, slightly higher than 30.4% of sales in the second quarter of 2005, but better than the first quarter of 2006 (32.0%) and the fourth quarter of 2005 (33.7%) demonstrating the improved leverage of the sales and marketing investments made by the Company in the second half of 2005. General and administrative expenses were 18.7% of sales for the second quarter of 2006, compared with 14.2% of sales in the year ago quarter. This increase of $2.7 million over the second quarter of 2005 includes $2.2 million in legal and professional fees related to the Company's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act internal investigation and $0.4 million of incremental expenses associated with the Company's ongoing patent litigation with Hexagon.

Outlook for the remainder of 2006

"Because of our year-to-date performance and continued strength in the CAM2 market, we are maintaining our original full-year 2006 sales guidance of $150-$157 million and estimate gross margin to remain between 57-59%," concluded Freeland. "Excluding the potential cost of resolution, if any, of the FCPA and patent cases and associated legal expenses we expect continued net income improvement in the second half of 2006."

This press release contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that are subject to risks and uncertainties, such as statements about our plans, objectives, projections, expectations, assumptions, strategies, or future events. Statements that are not historical facts or that describe the Company's plans, objectives, projections, expectations, assumptions, strategies, or goals are forward-looking statements. In addition, words such as "may," "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "seeks," "estimates," "will," "should," "could," "projects," "forecast," "target," "goal," and similar expressions or discussions of our strategy or other intentions identify forward-looking statements. Other written or oral statements, which constitute forward-looking statements, also may be made by the Company from time to time. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performances, or achievements to differ materially from future results, performances, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Consequently, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

* our inability to further penetrate our customer base;

* development by others of new or improved products, processes or technologies that make our products obsolete or less competitive;

* our inability to maintain our technological advantage by developing new products and enhancing our existing products;

* the cyclical nature of the industries of our customers and the financial condition of our customers;

* the fact that the market potential for the CAM2 market and the potential adoption rate for our products are difficult to quantify and predict;

* the inability to protect our patents and other proprietary rights in the United States and foreign countries and the assertion and ultimate outcome of infringement claims against us, including the pending suit by Hexagon's Cimcore-Romer subsidiary against us;

* fluctuations in our operating results as a result of a number of factors including, but not limited to litigation brought against us, quality issues with our products, excess or obsolete inventory, raw material price fluctuations, expansion of our manufacturing capability and other inflationary pressures;

* our inability to successfully implement the requirements of Restriction of use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) compliance into our products;

* the effects of increased competition as a result of recent consolidation in the CAM2 market;

* risks associated with expanding international operations, such as fluctuations in currency exchange rates, difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations, political and economic instability, and the burdens of complying with a wide variety of foreign laws and labor practices;

* our inability to continue to grow sales in the Asia Pacific region;

* higher than expected increases in expenses relating to our Asia Pacific expansion;

* our inability to keep our financial results within our target goals as a result of various potential factors such as investments in potential acquisitions or strategic sales, product or other initiatives, shrinkage or other inventory losses due to product obsolescence, scrap, material price changes, or other reasons;

* the loss of our co-Chief Executive Officers or other key personnel;

* difficulties in recruiting research and development engineers and application engineers;

* the failure to effectively manage our growth;

* the loss of key suppliers and the inability to find sufficient alternative suppliers in a reasonable period or on commercially reasonable terms; and

* the other risks detailed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Forward-looking statements in this release represent the Company's judgment as of the date of this release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

About FARO

With more than 12,500 installations and 5,500 customers globally, FARO Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: FARO) and its international subsidiaries design, develop, manufacture and market software and portable, computerized measurement devices. The Company's products allow manufacturers to perform 3-D inspections of parts and assemblies on the shop floor. This helps eliminate manufacturing errors, and thereby increases productivity and profitability for a variety of industries in FARO's worldwide customer base. Principal products include the FARO TrackArm; FARO Laser ScanArm; FARO Laser Scanner LS; FARO Gage and Gage-PLUS; Platinum, Digital Template, Titanium, Advantage FaroArms; the FARO Laser Tracker X and Xi; and the CAM2 family of advanced CAD-based measurement and reporting software. FARO Technologies is ISO 9001 certified and ISO-17025 laboratory registered.



                     FARO TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                        CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
                                   (UNAUDITED)

                                   Three Months Ended       Six Months Ended
    (in thousands, except per      July 1,     July 2,     July 1,     July 2,
     share data)                    2006        2005        2006        2005

    SALES                         $38,042     $30,895     $70,098     $58,511
    COST OF SALES (exclusive
     of depreciation and
     amortization, shown
     separately below)             15,480      12,505      28,701      22,778
    Gross profit                   22,562      18,390      41,397      35,733

    OPERATING EXPENSES:
      Selling                      11,610       9,358      21,861      17,024
      General and administrative    7,130       4,368      12,777       7,836
      Depreciation and
       amortization                 1,062         789       2,073       1,480
      Research and development      1,797       1,633       3,649       2,960

      Total operating expenses     21,599      16,148      40,360      29,300

    INCOME FROM OPERATIONS            963       2,242       1,037       6,433

    OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)
      Interest income                 169         170         327         302
      Other (expense) income,
       net                            (88)       (111)        287        (139)
      Interest expense                 (4)        (76)         (6)        (78)
    INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX        1,040       2,225       1,645       6,518

    INCOME TAX EXPENSE                187         313         296       1,137

    NET INCOME                       $853      $1,912      $1,349      $5,381

    NET INCOME PER SHARE -
     BASIC                          $0.06       $0.13       $0.09       $0.38

    NET INCOME PER SHARE -
     DILUTED                        $0.06       $0.13       $0.09       $0.37


    Basic EPS Shares           14,303,013  14,226,540  14,312,369  14,131,266

    Effect of dilutive
     securities                   188,187     351,773     191,509     360,406


    Diluted EPS Shares         14,491,200  14,578,313  14,503,877  14,491,672



                    FARO TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                           CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                                   (UNAUDITED)

                                                   July 1,        December 31,
    (in thousands, except share data)               2006              2005
    ASSETS
    Current Assets:
      Cash and cash equivalents                     $6,917            $9,278
      Short-term investments                        15,790            16,490
      Accounts receivable, net                      34,497            28,654
      Inventories                                   26,451            28,650
      Deferred income taxes, net                     2,879             2,155
      Prepaid expenses and other current
       assets                                        3,046             2,200
        Total current assets                        89,580            87,427
    Property and Equipment:
      Machinery and equipment                        8,321             6,940
      Furniture and fixtures                         3,670             3,334
      Leasehold improvements                         2,299             1,710
        Property and equipment at cost              14,290            11,984
      Less: accumulated depreciation and
       amortization                                 (7,461)           (5,920)
        Property and equipment, net                  6,829             6,064
    Goodwill                                        16,916            14,574
    Intangible assets, net                           6,459             6,395
    Service Inventory                                4,966             4,333
    Deferred income taxes, net                       3,724             3,855
    Total Assets                                  $128,474          $122,648
    LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
    Current Liabilities:
      Accounts payable                              $7,711           $12,301
      Accrued liabilities                            8,032             5,569
      Income taxes payable                           2,224             1,406
      Current portion of unearned service
       revenues                                      3,502             3,168
      Customer deposits                                294               201
      Current portion of long-term debt and
       obligations under capital leases                128               163
        Total current liabilities                   21,891            22,808
    Unearned service revenues - less
     current portion                                 2,247               803
    Deferred tax liability, net                      1,200                --
    Long-term debt and obligations under
     capital leases - less current
     portion                                           199               177
    Total Liabilities                               25,537            23,788
    Commitments and contingencies

    Shareholders' Equity:
      Common stock - par value $.001,
       50,000,000 shares authorized;
       14,498,404 and 14,481,178 issued;
       14,350,726 and 14,290,917
       outstanding, respectively                        14                14
      Additional paid-in-capital                    84,437            83,940
      Retained earnings                             18,606            17,256
      Accumulated other comprehensive
       (loss) income                                    31            (2,199)
      Common stock in treasury, at cost -
       40,000 shares                                  (151)             (151)
    Total shareholders' equity                     102,937            98,860
    Total Liabilities and Shareholders'
     Equity                                       $128,474          $122,648



                     FARO TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                      CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
                                   (UNAUDITED)

                                                       Six Months Ended
                                                   July 1,            July 2,
                                                    2006               2005
    CASH FLOWS FROM:
    OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
      Net income                                    $1,349             $5,381
      Adjustments to reconcile net income
       to net cash used in
       operating activities:
        Depreciation and amortization                2,073              1,480
        Amortization of stock options and
         restricted stock units                        148                (60)
        Income tax benefit from exercise of
         stock options                                  --                371
        Deferred income tax benefit                   (736)              (234)
    Change in operating assets and
     liabilities:
      Decrease (increase) in:
        Accounts receivable,net                     (4,632)            (4,774)
        Inventories                                  2,220             (5,931)
        Prepaid expenses and other current
         assets                                       (743)              (645)
      Increase (decrease) in:
        Accounts payable and accrued
         liabilities                                (2,444)              (944)
        Income taxes payable                           726                312
        Customer deposits                               82               (118)
        Unearned service revenues                    1,598                633

        Net cash used in operating
         activities                                   (359)            (4,529)

    INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
      Acquisition of iQvolution                         --             (5,135)
      Purchases of property and equipment           (2,122)            (1,724)
      Payments for intangible assets                  (589)              (482)
      Purchases of short-term investments               --             (3,300)
      Proceeds from short-term investments             700             10,995

        Net cash (used in) provided
         by investing activities                    (2,011)               354

    FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
      Payments of capital leases                      (107)               (19)
      Proceeds from issuance of stock, net               1                291

        Net cash (used in) provided
         by financing activities                      (106)               272


    EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON
     CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS                         115             (1,504)


    DECREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS           (2,361)            (5,407)

    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING
     OF PERIOD                                       9,278             16,357


    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF
     PERIOD                                         $6,917            $10,950

SOURCE FARO Technologies, Inc.
/CONTACT: Keith Bair, Interim Chief Financial Officer, FARO Technologies,
+1-407-333-9911/
/Web site: http://www.faro.com/
(FARO)


"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding FARO Technologies Inc's business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.