Beckhoff maintains turnover

Notwithstanding the weak overall economic situation and low investment activity within the mechanical engineering sector, Beckhoff Industrie Elektronik is quite satisfied with the financial year 2002: Revenue decreased slightly from 77 million euros to 76 million euros, which is equivalent to a drop of only 1.3 percent. In its core business, the specialist for PC-based control technology even achieved growth of 4.6 percent. A decline was particularly noticeable in the OEM business. Following this breathing space caused by the weak economy, Beckhoff plans on the new financial year bringing the usual aboveaverage growth rates of previous years. Expansion is planned particularly for the export segment.
After some "breathing space", new growth targets are being aimed for
 

With a stable "support leg" on the international market, Beckhoff intends to become more independent of the sluggish domestic economy. “The fact that we have once again nearly reached our record sales of 2001 during the second crisis year in a row, and even achieved growth in our core business, is a very acceptable result for us”, said general manager Hans Beckhoff. “New Automation Technology” has thus almost maintained the high level of 2001, when the company generated strong growth of 16 percent despite an already weak market. “This showed that our technology segments of PC control and fieldbus technology continue to gain significant market shares in industrial automation,” Beckhoff continued.

24% growth in the first quarter
Beckhoff is very confident about the current financial year: New product ranges and the introduction of new basic technologies should lead to growth above market average. The first quarter of the current financial year gives reason to hope that the economic trough may have been passed - and at the same time indicates that many investments that were originally due in 2002 had been postponed to this year. This is how Beckhoff explains the remarkable jump in sales of 24 percent during the first quarter of 2003 compared with the first three months of 2002.
At the same time, the resolute expansion of the distribution network is intended to bring about additional dynamics. The emphasis is clearly on the international business. The establishment of our own subsidiaries in Sweden, Poland and Italy last year already marked the beginning of a new trend. The Austrian branch, in existence since June 1997, was transferred into an independent subsidiary as of June 1, 2002. For the markets of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, a new distribution partnership with Dyger s.r.o. was sealed last year. This year, attention will be on central and eastern Europe, Asia and North America. “The export quota, already around 30 percent in 2002, should grow further”, says Beckhoff about the company direction. Forecasts indicate that export sales could grow significantly by more than 20 percent this year.

Back to Overview