ASSLAR (dpa-AFX) - Vacuum pump specialist Pfeiffer Vacuum benefited from strong demand in the quarter just ended. Consolidated sales rose by 17.2 percent over the year-earlier quarter to €253.1 million, the SDax-listed company announced Thursday in Asslar, Hesse. Due to increased costs and the expansion of production capacities, the operating margin deteriorated somewhat. Operating profit (Ebit) increased by only 2.9 percent to 32.2 million euros in the first quarter. Pfeiffer Vacuum earned € 22.8 million below the line, as opposed to € 22.2 million in the year-earlier quarter. The Management Board confirmed its familiar forecast of sales at the level of the previous year and an operating margin of 12 percent./ngu/stk