11.04.2013

WINTERSTEIGER AG: Record turnover in 60th anniversary year

Fiscal year 2013 starts with largest order in the company's history.

Despite difficult economic framework conditions, WINTERSTEIGER AG succeeded in boosting turnover in all of its business units and achieving record turnover for the third time in a row of 126.2 million euros in the 2012 fiscal year.

The levelling technology business unit, which now represents the fourth pillar in the group after the acquisition of KOHLER Maschinenbau GmbH, secured the largest contract in the company's 60-year history at the beginning of the year. The new building for KOHLER, planned for 2013/2014, is the largest individual investment and a new company structure aims to drive our growth strategy. With this bundle of projects, WINTERSTEIGER launches into the 2013 fiscal year in a totally dynamic way.

 

The key performance indicators from the last fiscal year's financial reports paint a robust picture of the group. For example, WINTERSTEIGER achieved a good EBITDA with a profit margin of 10.6 % (13.4 million euros). The EBIT is 6.6 % (8.3 million euros).

CEO Dipl.-Ing. Reiner Thalacker commented positively on the figures: "In the past fiscal year, we integrated KOHLER into the group and invested strongly in the brand and in our future."

 

The equity capital quota is a substantial 46.4 % in the group, and 54.5 % in the group's parent company, WINTERSTEIGER AG. For Chief Financial Officer Roland Greul, MBA, these are "excellent" figures: "We are thus perfectly geared for the future." The export quota rose slightly and is now above 90 %. In the past year, WINTERSTEIGER invested 10.4 million euros in research and development, which is equivalent to an R&D quota of 8.2 % (compared with 6.4 % in 2011).



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Balanced development of the business units.

The four business units, SPORTS, SEEDMECH, WOODTECH and Levelling technology developed positively and showed balanced results in comparative turnovers.

 

The SPORTS business unit with its turnkey solutions for ski and snowboard rental and servicing is still the largest business unit in terms of turnover. The subsidiary in Russia was extremely successful, securing large order volumes in the scope of the Olympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi.

 

Reiner Thalacker is optimistic about the current business year and analyses the special requirements in SPORTS: "2013 started with a good winter season. Due to the seasonal nature of the business, we see ourselves confronted with increasing requirements for flexibility in this business unit. We responded to these customer needs with our new products. The newly-developed Discovery 2 is a fully automatic ski service station which can be "tailored" for each customer, and which is extensible. The new ski depot and drying system, Easystore Flex, can also be completely tailored for individual needs." The BootDoc department, which is part of the SPORTS business unit, specializing in foot analysis systems and tailored insoles, is developing as planned.

 

SEEDMECH's turnover – a provider of turnkey solutions for the field trial industry – hugely exceeded the targets thanks to very positive developments in Europe, Russia and South America. The outlook for the 2013 fiscal year is also very good. The group has great expectations in the BRIC states, Brazil, Russia, parts of India and China, and in the USA. The key roles in the SEEDMECH markets are occupied by state-owned enterprises on the one hand, which have a tight budget situation and by international groups on the other, which are continuing to expand. World nutrition and bio-energy (biofuels) play a very important role. Additionally, increasing quality requirements have made themselves felt in field trials. All told, SEEDMECH is the business unit with the strongest growth potential looking forward.

 

The WOODTECH business unit also exhibited growth in sales despite a difficult market – the sales markets have only just recovered from the economic crisis in part. Excess capacities are another challenge, and they exist globally within the main target group of parquet flooring manufacturers.

 

WINTERSTEIGER's response to these framework conditions is product diversification and opening up new business areas. In November 2012, WINTERSTEIGER acquired a majority shareholding in VAP Gruber Automations GmbH, Mettmach. VAP is a supplier of automation solutions and builds systems for fully automatic wood surface repair, which are marketed under the product name "TRC – Timber Repair & Cosmetics". TRC perfectly complements the WOODTECH product portfolio, and will generate additional turnover with new and existing customers. WINTERSTEIGER has additionally set its sights on new business areas, which will be opened up by the core product thin-cutting band saws in combination with VAP automation expertise. Another trump up our sleeves is the new DSB Twinhead NG XM thin-cutting band saw which impresses with its modular design and will be officially launched at LIGNA in Hannover in May 2013.

 

 

 

Thanks to the integration of KOHLER Maschinenbau GmbH, the group created a fourth pillar with the Levelling technology business unit. All told, long-term strategic enterprise planning, which was created prior to acquiring KOHLER, shows that the business unit is developing as planned. The newly-developed Peak Performer GC with electro-mechanical levelling gap control will ensure a turnover boost and generate investment incentives.

 

Largest order and largest individual investment.

The year 2013 started for WINTERSTEIGER AG with a huge order worth more than 8 million euros, the largest in the company's history: KOHLER is developing and producing a strip levelling machine with a length of more than 100 meters for ThyssenKrupp, Duisburg. To secure future growth at KOHLER, the group will be investing in a new company building in 2013. With an investment sum of some 12 million euros, this is the largest individual investment in WINTERSTEIGER's history. Construction work is due to start in the late fall of 2013, with completion due in 2014.

 

Basic data for the new building: Site: approx. 50,000 m²; Location: Lahr industrial estate (10 km from the current location, Friesenheim); Production floor space: approx. 7,500 m²; Administration incl. customer center: approx. 2,000 m²; Total investment: approx. 12 million euros.

 

Staff levels December 31, 2012.

Worldwide WINTERSTEIGER employs 810 staff, of which 498 in Austria. Group wide 87 staff work in R&D. WINTERSTEIGER sees training of young persons as a pillar of its entrepreneurial success. After completing their vocational training, nearly 100 % of these professionals stay with WINTERSTEIGER. Within the group, currently 14 female and 59 male trainees are completing their training; in August 2013, 18 new trainees will start their careers.

 

New company structure in 60th anniversary year.

Implementation of the new corporate structure in business units (BU) started in 2013. The reason for this is the aim of achieving more customer proximity with the business units and thus securing best possible knowledge of the market and products. The BU aim to follow dynamic requirement developments quickly and efficiently. Merging the divisions Sales, Customer Service and Development helps the group to orient itself very closely with the market and the customer. Supplying the right product at the right price, with the right costs and the right quality, at the right time and to the right place, this is the BU's objective and task.

 

Outlook for the current fiscal year, 2013.

WINTERSTEIGER started the fiscal year 2013 with a very good contingent of orders. The good winter season and stronger growth in Asia and South America form the basis for a successful year in all business units. CEO Reiner Thalacker: "We have set ourselves a realistically conservative turnover target of some 135 million euros for 2013. From the perspective of a globally active group with an export quota of 90 %, the market situation and business development are volatile. With our policy of 4 business units we have been able, thus far, to compensate fluctuations well, and continue our course of growth."

 

  • Group turnover: 126.2 million euros
  • EBIT: 8.3 million euros (6.6 percent)
  • EBITDA: 13.4 million euros (10.6 percent)
  • Equity capital quota in the group: 46.4 percent
  • Equity capital quota WINTERSTEIGER AG: 54.5 percent

 

 

  • Export quota: 90.1 percent
  • Expenditure R&D: 10.4 million euros (R&D quota: 8.2 percent)
  • Staff worldwide: 810
  • Staff Austria: 498