Altogether, the Schunk Group's turnover for the year 2014 reached 988 million Euro. This is the highest turnover achieved by the technology company thus far. For the current year, 2015, the Schunk Group has set the goal of passing the 1 billion Euro mark for the first time.
"In 2014, we once again exceeded the previous year's excellent turnover by a wide margin, setting a new turnover record of 998 million Euro," explained Dr. Arno Roth, Chairman of the Management Board of the Schunk Group. The technology company, which is internationally active in the fields of carbon technology and ceramics, environment simulation and climate technology, sintered metal and ultrasonic welding, outperformed the global economy in doing so: global growth totaled 3.1% over the previous year, whereas the Schunk Group saw an improvement of 5.2% over the same time period. The company also increased its equity ratio. "Our high equity ratio of around 62 percent shows that the Schunk Group is a very financially solid company," continued Dr. Roth.
Automotive market especially strong
An important contribution to the strong growth in turnover was made by the sintered metal and ultrasonic welding areas of business in particular, which are primarily active in the automotive market. "Last year, the trend toward welding automotive wiring harnesses using ultrasonic methods continued, and in the area of sintered metal, we have developed and delivered new components for the automotive industry. This enabled us to profit handsomely from the strong development of the automotive market," explained Dr. Roth.
Focusing on Asia pays off
The company saw strong growth in Eastern Europe and Asia, in particular, but also in Germany. "Solid turnover growth in Asia shows that we are following the right strategy of intensively working this high-potential market," said Dr. Roth. The American markets were the only area where development lagged expectations.
Employees share in the profits
Dr. Roth stressed that 2014's strong numbers weren't just the result of the strategic direction of the company. "Our company's success is very much dependent on the high level of engagement exhibited by our employees. This is why Schunk is passing profits on to employees once again this year." Altogether, the company has shared nearly 10 million Euro in profit with employees.
1 billion Euro turnover within reach
"The Schunk Group is still on track for growth in 2015," underscored Dr. Roth. If the global economy grows as expected, the outlook for the technology company is very good. The Schunk Group saw its highest monthly turnover ever in March of 2015. "We want to continue this positive trend from the past few years, which is why we have set ourselves a clear goal for 2015. For the first time ever, the Schunk Group wants to generate turnover of more than 1 billion Euro, making it a one-billion-company."