ROGERS, CT -- Rogers today announced first quarter net sales of $160.6 million, down 2.7% from a year ago.

The latest results include a $3 million increase tied to the impact of a full quarter of sales revenue from Rogers' Jan. 22, 2015, acquisition of Arlon.

Net sales were negatively impacted by $3.9 million as a consequence of currency fluctuations, primarily related to the Euro and Renminbi.

The overall sales beat company guidance.

Gross margin was 37.7% in the quarter, down 10 basis points from a year ago. Operating margin was 15%, up from compared 12.2% last year.

The company's printed circuit materials unit saw record quarterly net sales of $73.4 million for the period, up 2.9% from 2015, boosted by $5.1 million due to the new Arlon business. Currency fluctuations unfavorably impacted net sales by $900,000.

Rogers saw strong growth in sales of high frequency circuit materials used in automotive safety applications, as more Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) were adopted in vehicle platforms globally, as well as other applications. This growth was offset by lower demand year-over-year for 4G/LTE wireless telecom applications despite a strong recovery in demand during the quarter.

Rogers projects second quarter net sales of $156 million to $164 million.

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